Title:
Paradox Unleashed
Metal Heart
Summary:
After losing Amy the Doctor is in a slump & doesn't want to help anyone anymore but a young robot manages to worm his way into his heart. They meet a broken down WALL-E & M-O who they transfer over to Android bodies. Together they travel through a massive Multi Xover universe WARNING: Spanking, Yaoi, (only a parental relationship between Astro & the Doctor), AU, No Clara
###
Chapter One
Toby groaned wondering the junkyard. The dead parts of billions of different robots surrounding him. Floating high in the night sky was Metro city. A literal shining beacon of light.
He couldn't have been out for more then an hour after being blasted by the most advanced airship in the fleet. The Spirit of Freedom was the most massive and heavily armed battleship there was. A single blast should have been enough to obliterate him but somehow he not only survived but he was in perfect health. It had hurt but it did absolutely no damage. It did knock him out for a little while but not very long by the look of the night sky. Guess being a robot had its advantages.
Looking around Toby bite his bottom lip to stop the tears from flowing. His dad, or rather the person he thought was his dad... his 'designer' would be more accurate. That thought caused a tear to fall and the escape of one broke the way for the flood. He had to stop for a moment to collect himself, choking back the tears and rubbing his wet eyes. So he could produce tears, good to know.
His dad had kicked him out of the house. The man didn't want him. He made him to replace his dead son. What kind of person would even think of something like that? After Toby proved he was not like the human the man classified him as a failed experiment. Toby wasn't good enough... no not Toby. Toby was the human child that tragically died. He was just a robot programmed with that boy's memories... he didn't have a name...
The robot went back to wandering aimlessly. He saw a few barely operational robots in the junkyard but for the most part they were reduced to nothing but scrap. The human him never thought about what happened to the robots after they were decommissioned. Would he care about this place? Would it affect him the same way it did the little robot Toby?
Orrin was lucky. As a home service droid he'd be kept operational for years. Toby remembered the day his dad got Orrin after getting rid of their previous robot. Toby's friend and caretaker since the boy was born was turned off so casually and the delivery men took him away after activating Orrin. The human Toby got on his bike and road out into the street to get away from his unforgivable father. He ended up getting hit by a car and spent about a month in the hospital. The medical robot said he was lucky, if the car had been going just a little bit faster he'd be dead. Imagine dad would have just made himself a new son then and this version of robot Toby wouldn't be here. Still... even though it had all been so traumatic the human Toby eventually forgot about his long time friend and started playing with Orrin, well more like messing with Orrin. Human Toby was so mean to Orrin because he didn't want to get attached to him like he had to the first robot. His father's lesson had been hard, painful even before the crash, but it worked. Robot Toby, before he was told he was just a machine, had felt different about it after waking up. He saw how Orrin was reacting to him. The robot was... scared of him. Was human Toby such a terror? Robot Toby decided he should try to fix that, actually playing with his robotic house keeper and nanny. He tried his best to be nice well still enjoying himself in the fun, which wasn't hard but might have been for human Toby. Robot Toby knew something was wrong the moment he woke up. He felt weird, as if the very way he felt things was different. His very skin responded to the feel of his blanket differently, probably because he was feeling with sensors now but he didn't know that at the time. He still had all his old memories and knew how he used to perceive them but it was like he was looking at them all more objectively. Like he had been watching someone else's life, turns out he was... Was he here?... Toby's old friend that he technically never met? Was he just a few worthless parts in one of the mountain high piles of scrap?
Toby sighed, everything he thought seemed to depress him even more. He should just find a place to sleep and hope tomorrow was better. He could make a life for himself here if he tried. Maybe he could try repairing some of these damaged robots. There was definitely enough spare parts for him to help the survivors.
There was some kind of bizarre sound off in the distance, a mechanical groaning wheezing. Maybe Toby should start his life as a mechanic now and help whoever was making that sound. He hopped up into the air and his red boots folded in. Flames of the rockets in his legs blasted him forward. Flying was easy once he got the hang of it.
The sound faded but Toby kept up his speed. He flew all the way until he say a blue phone booth. As the door opened Toby ducked behind a pile of scrap on instinct. Turning off his rockets he hide as silently as he could and stealthily peeked out. There was a young man about 25 seen stepping out of the box wearing a dark suit with a bowtie, top hat, and carrying a cane. Another man stepped out... an odd looking man. He looked... kind of like a human potato. He was bold and short with a thick neck to the point that it may or may not exist and potato brown skin... Three fingers? He was wearing a dark suit with some kind of blue armor underneath being revealed around what little neck there was. The first man was already far off in the distance were the potato man quickly followed leaving the door wide open.
Toby bit his lip. He knew he shouldn't but he was always too curious for his own good. Looking to make sure the men were gone he slowly walked over to the box.
"OH MY GOD!" Toby screamed seeing inside the box. There was a whole other word in there! Toby ran around the box but it couldn't be larger then your average phone booth. Gaping he hesitantly stepped inside looking around the giant room hidden in the small box.
Toby couldn't stop himself, his feet moved on their own well his eyes darted around. His mouth agape and his mind too stunned to think. He was in some kind of control room.
"This... this is impossible" Toby gaped "It's bigger on the inside!"
"So I've been told" Toby jumped turning around to see bowtie guy with Potato man "You see" Bowtie glared at potato "this is why you make sure you close the door!"
"H-hey" Toby hesitantly waved "I didn't mean to snoop but... are you guys aliens?"
"What gave you that idea?" Bowtie sighed rubbing his forehead.
"Well it doesn't really take a genius to figure out this is a space ship" Toby stated looking at the controls "and well... him" he pointed at the Potato man
"He's seen too much, shell I destroy him now?" Said Potato
Toby's eyes widened, great HOSTILE aliens! He quietly did a scan of them and gulped. Bowtie may look human but his biology was completely different. He had two hearts! Along with a few organs Toby never saw before.
"Strax" Bowtie sighed again either speaking alien gibberish or Potato's name "Shut up" Bowtie looked over at Toby. His eyes closely studied the boy "Besides I don't think you could make a dent in little Astro"
"Astro? Is... is that the name of the ship" Toby dared to speak, was Bowtie worried killing him would get blood on the rug? Not that Toby had blood
"No" Bowtie said shortly walking further in. He causally took off his coat and threw it on one of the railings, along with his hat and cane.
"What then?" Toby stood firm, ready to defend himself but Bowtie walked right passed him and started fiddling with the controls.
"Run along little robot, I'm busy"
"No, not if... not if your part of some invasion force" Toby declared
"I'm retired" Bowtie assured
"So you used to invade people?"
"I never invaded anyone" Bowtie glared "Well maybe the Daleks... and the Cybermen... then there was that one time with the- no I've never invaded anyone who didn't attack first and I find it insulting you assume I'm the bad guy"
"S-sorry" Toby blushed
"I'd expect better from a synthetic lifeform"
"Well... in my defense he did threaten to 'destroy' me a few seconds ago" Toby pointed at Potato
"Oh just ignore him. His species is far too close minded to think anything else"
"Huh... so... you were a soldier?" Toby asked walking up next to the alien.
"Once... a long time ago" Bowtie looked so sad as he thought about it
"I'm Toby, what's your name?"
Bowtie examined the boy a moment as if debating something in his head "I'm the Doctor"
"Doctor Who?"
Bowtie smiled a sweetly sad smile as he remembered something. He definitely wasn't acting like a 25 year old, more like a old man who's seen far too much. Maybe he was, no telling if aliens aged the same way humans did. he could be in his 80s for all Toby knew "Just 'The Doctor',"
Toby smiled back "Even aliens gotta have names"
"Most do but names for my people are very precious. We don't share them often"
"Huh" Toby accepted "Soooo... what are you doing in a junk yard"
"I could ask you the same question"
"... my... my designer said... he doesn't... he doesn't want me anymore so" Toby paused to shrug "here I am"
The Doctor groaned as if he should have known that, then immediately and in no stealthy fashion whatsoever changed the subject "Retirement is rather boring so I came to this world to collect a few parts. Don't know what I'm building yet but that will come to me when I find the right parts. Planet Metro... Just outside, or under really with the whole giant floaty island in the sky bit, Metro City is the largest scrap heap of mechanical parts in the galaxy. Everything here is useful and precious if someone where to take the time to care for them" Toby got a sneaky suspension the Doctor was talking about him now
"... need any help?"
"A bit" The Doctor confessed "If you find anything feel free to come by tomorrow night and show it off"
"Sure!" Toby grinned as the Doctor stepped away from the controls and headed out the door. Toby quickly ran passed him "I'll look around and bring back anything I find" he promised jumping into the air and activating his rockets "See you tomorrow" he declared and flew off
"Tomorrow" The Doctor whispered
###
Toby walked around the junk yard with a large blanket he was using for a sack. One of the malfunctioning robots gave it to him after the boy gave him a little energy to keep running for a few more decades. Toby didn't really want anything but the robot had insisted and the blanket was proving useful as Toby found more and more parts.
The sun was up now and by the look of it it was a little past noon. He'd found twenty parts already that he just knew the Doctor would find useful. He was trying not to but he kept envisioning what the Doctor might make with them. What amazing things could a member of an advanced alien race do with a high level compression coil?
The sound of barking caught his ears just before something jumped on him.
"Ahhhh!" was about all he could say before hitting the ground. Clutching his blanket tightly to keep the parts inside he looked at the thing that jumped on him and smiled "Hey there fella" he chuckled at the mechanical dog "Trashcan" he said reading the words just below the mouth "You lost Trashcan?"
The dog began barking in an erratic manner stealing the smile from the boy's face "What is it?" he tried to slow the dog. He couldn't understand a thing that the mechanicals barks could mean but the radio signal the dog was emitting made perfect sense to his robot ears "Someone's in trouble?" he gasped and the dog ran off to lead the way "oh no" Toby acknowledged chasing the dog.
Not too far away they came up to a giant hole in the ground. "Is this it?" Toby asked placing down the makeshift sack and looking into the hole "Hello!" he yelled and heard his voice echo back to him from deep inside the pit "They could be miles down, the hole looks pretty-" he was cut off as the dog suddenly headbutted him into the hole "DEEEEEEEEEEP!"
He got caught in some kind of trap and thrown back out of the hole wrapped up in a sheet.
"Get the restraints on it" he heard someone order and a crowd grabbed at the sheet
"Get off!" Toby yelled untangling himself "I said knock it off" he barked once freed. He was surrounded by a bunch of kids.
"That's not a robot?" Some purple haired girl stared in bewilderment
"It's a kid" a small boy agreed
"That's-that's right" Toby lied "I'm a kid, like you!" he spoke the lamest phrasing that undoubtedly would ever pass his lips but give the boy a brake he was in shock.
"Give me that" An older boy growled trying to take a wrench away from the dog. When the dog got a wrench Toby couldn't tell "We want robots not kids you stupid garbage eater"
"So where you from non-robot?" the purple haired girl asked
"I'm from... I'm from Metro City" just as Toby got out the words the girl leaped to her feet excitedly screaming "Metro city!"
She looked at her companions and cheered "Can you believe it guys, he's from Metro City and he's actually talking to me!"
"Are you feeling okay?" Toby blinked
"Oh my God he talked to me twice" she cheered before her voice slowly took on a very flat very bored tone "this is definitely going down in my diary as the most exciting day of my life"
"Okay I get it, you don't like people from Metro City" Toby rolled his eyes as he stood
"Metro City," the boy that stole the wrench away from the dog softly daydreamed "Where robots wait on you hand and foot. I'd love to visit, just for one day"
"They wouldn't let you in" purple hair scuffed "They have a strict 'no losers from the surface allowed' policy"
"Guys check it out!" a young girl called from behind them "Its a smorgasbord!"
Toby turned to see what she was talking about then snapped "Hey that's mine!"
"Finders keepers" the girl insisted
"And who do you think found it and wrapped it up in a blanket?" Toby glared and the girl deflated
"This is some pretty nice stuff" the younger boy stared "How'd you find it?"
"Just got lucky" Toby shrugged not about to confess he had Xray vision and the ability to drill through the piles of junk.
"Well you're luck's run out cause this is our turf" purple hair smirked "I'll have to confiscate this stuff"
"I worked hard to find those parts!" Toby yelled
"Don't be a jerk Cora" the older boy glared then looked back at Toby "But I wouldn't mind trading some stuff if you're willing"
"I guess that's okay" Toby shrugged
"I'm Zane" the older boy extended his hand but the little girl jumped in front of him "I'm Widget" then the younger boy shoved her and said "I'm Sludge, and I'm older then her" the girl shoved him back with a retort of "By 90 seconds" indicating that they were twins.
"And you are?" Cora signaled Toby
"Oh uh Toby but that's not who I really am. You see-"
"Dude it's a simple question" Cora cut him off
"Oh uh... Astro" Was the first thing to pop in his head. Just some random word the Doctor had said.
"I like it" Sludge grinned
"It's modern" Zane agreed "A little space age, I love it"
"So what exactly is a Metro City kid doing stealing all our good parts?" Cora gave a glaring smirk.
"Did you run away" Sludge asked excitedly
"No they kind of suggested I find a new place, whatever that means" Toby, no Astro, shrugged
"Dude, it means they kicked you out" Widget looked on with unwanted pity in her eyes
"Well... well I..."
"So what exactly did you find?" Cora asked, her voice much softer with obvious regret to how she was acting.
Astro smiled at being allowed an escape "Some pretty cool stuff actually" he got down in front of his blanket and spread out his parts over it
Cora whistled taking the backpack off Zane "You sure we can't confiscate it?" she jokingly asked him to which he just rolled his eyes. She opened the bag and dumped their parts on the floor "I don't know if you'll want any of this junk. Luck hasn't been on our side today"
No it hadn't, Astro mentally agreed. They had a lot of dead batteries and elbows, nothing he'd really want. Thinking it just wouldn't be polite not to trade something he picked up a knee joint. The Doctor could apply the joint in a lot more things then just knees "What do you want for it?"
Sludge greedily grabbed the best part
"Sorry" Astro gently took back the compression coil "That's already promised to someone"
Zane whacked the younger boy upside the head "Like he's really going to give that up for a knee joint"
They traded a few parts and parted ways. Astro spent the rest of the day hunting parts, mostly looking for replacements for the nice parts he gave up, before returning to the blue box but when he got there... his heart broke.
The box... was gone. He stood there for several minutes feeling like a complete idiot. He choked back tears and started to leave. Maybe he could find those kids and give the parts to them? After taking the first few steps he stopped as he heard it. A machine wheezing coming from behind him. He hesitantly looked back and felt the wind on his face. The blue box was slowly fading in and out of existence before finally becoming solid. The doors soon opened and the Doctor poked out.
"Toby!" He grinned walking over "I wasn't expecting you so soon. Sorry I just had to drop Strax off. Got the most annoying looks from him and his friends. Acting like I was coming out of retirement or something just cause I..." he instantly stopped seeing the boy's face "Are you crying?"
"Of-of course not" Astro insisted wiping his eyes. He wasn't normally this much of a crybaby but it had been an emotional couple of days.
The Doctor gently took hold of the boy's chin "I'm not about to abandon a child out here"
"I-I know that" Astro insisted
"No you don't" the Doctor sighed at his own stupidity "How could you?" he wasn't actually asking anyone but himself "Come along Toby" he waved walking back to the box
"Astro" The boy corrected
"Hum?" The Doctor smiled looking back
"My name, Astro, I hope you don't mind"
"A fine name" the Doctor agreed
###
"They freaking pushed me into a hole but after that little fiasco they mistook me for a kid and I kind of went along with it"
"You are a kid" The Doctor insisted as he looked through the parts Astro found well the boy went through his day.
"You know what I mean" Astro smiled as the Doctor examined the compression coil
"Good condition" he muttered then spoke more clearly "It's good to hang out with kids your own age"
"I'm only three days old" Astro grinned
"Make me feel ancient why don't ya"
"How old are you?" Astro couldn't resist asking
"Oh I haven't the foggiest, somewhere around 100000?"
Astro laughed "No seriously"
"Oh I'm serious" The Doctor looked at him with nothing but honesty in his eyes
Astro just stared at him a moment "Wow... your people must live a long time"
"We do but we also have our ways of cheating death"
"What do you mean?"
"When our bodies get too old or we die unexpectedly our bodies regenerate. We get a new face with a brand new personality to match but we're still the same person. Same memories, same soul, just wrapped up different. And no it isn't natural. Some scientists cooked it up... then my planet got pulled into the Time Vortex. Interesting story that, but it's for another day. My Species continued to evolve inside the Time Vortex, living right along side every moment in time. It altered our bodies, enhancing them, including our regeneration ability. We are a part of this universe. As such when we regenerate we can end up looking like any species to call it home. Been a Turian once... that was fun. I've been around a long time... too long. Been traveling... looking for home... but now I'm done. I'm going to spend the rest of eternity tinkering in a shop, that's a good idea a shop. Amy never could picture me in a shop... the perfect place to start over"
"100000 years...'" Astro back tracked, logging away the seemingly random comments inside the explanation "and you claim your species has the potential to live indefinitely. How does an entire species sustain itself when no one can die?"
The Doctor smiled "Good question" he acknowledged but didn't elaborate. Astro deduced that meant the Doctor was a very talented liar. Whether he was lying about his age or the entire story of 'regeneration' he couldn't tell, both seemed completely honest and mystifying.
"Do you get regenerated into a baby?"
"Another good question. Yes it's possible but I never have, was a kid a few times. Regeneration isn't very reliable. You could wind up in diapers or in your thousands with a tail or pointed ears or no ears at all. I knew a guy who regenerated without a head once, dead instantly but managed to regenerate again on instinct" now that defiantly was a lie... wasn't it?
"Here" The Doctor left his parts to go to a screen on the control panel. He clicked a few buttons and pulled up a file labeled 'Regeneration' "This should satisfy your curiosity"
Astro went over to the screen as the Doctor returned to his parts. The young robot couldn't believe how detailed it was, perfectly explaining the science behind it and even providing well balanced equations but it seems it could only be done for organic lifeforms "You know if you showed this stuff to other species you could save billions of lives... I imagine there's some rule against that though"
"There is but it's not like there's anyone left to enforce it" The Doctor revealed far more then he intended with that statement. He probably wasn't used to dealing with people who could compete with him on an intellectual level. It became clear what he said in his rant about 'looking for home'. Was his species near extinction? Did they lose whatever war the Doctor fought in? Had he been looking for survivors and had now lost hope of finding them? Whatever the answer it didn't seem right to ask the Doctor about it "People aren't meant to live more then one life little Astro. Some creatures are meant to live thousands of years, others not even one, but they should all only have one lifetime to cherish. My people were arrogant and believed themselves above the laws of nature" Astro didn't miss the 'themselves' comment instead of 'ourselves' as if the Doctor didn't truly count himself among his people
"Guess you wouldn't have done it if you had a choice"
"Oh no I would have jumped at the chance. It's only with age we recognize the gravity of our mistakes" the Doctor smiled then sighed "Too bad you didn't stumble on a kinetic stabilizer"
Astro blushed, that was one of the parts he traded... for about a dozen worthless dead batteries. The Doctor took one of those batteries and poured the acid into a bowl before breaking another and doing the same. Catching Astro's look of bewilderment the Doctor smiled "I can... basically rejuvenate the chemicals and even improve the mixture. Make a brand new type of battery to last a few centuries or so"
"I can find more" Astro volunteered
"I have more then enough, though thank you for the offer" The Doctor smiled
"Who's this?" Astro blinked when something bumped his leg. It was junk, very old junk, probably the only reason it hadn't been salvaged was because it was junk. It was an old Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class droid. Hundreds of years ago, before Metro City was risen into the air, these things were commissioned by the President in an effort to clean up the surface. Unfortunately none of the presidents after her cared and let them fall apart. They chose instead to just live above the surface in an air filtering floating city but left most of the world's population down below. They did eventually get around to making more floating cities, each with their own Autopilot, but only the rich could afford the apartments.
"Oh that... I figured I could salvage some so it's parts. It's got some nice solar panels, a bit beat up but I should be able to fix them"
"Oh" Astro studied it for a bit before opening it's hard drive, for no other reason then he wanted to make sure it really was scrap. He took the hard drive out and did a scan of it "Doctor it's... he's still alive"
"What? Astro the circuitry is beyond repair. The only thing salvageable is the solar panels"
"Look!" Astro held up the hard drive "It's completely intact. The program hasn't degraded at all!"
"Astro" The Doctor sighed
"You need to help him!"
"Help him?" the word tasting foul on his tongue
"There's another one!" Astro gaped opening the droid's waste compactor and finding a very small cleaning droid inside, a much newer model to "This guy just has a few busted circuits. That's easy to repair!"
The Doctor blinked as the boy robot picked up a small cleaning droid. Astro held up the droid for the Doctor to see "You're going to help them right!?"
The Doctor's first impulse was to saw 'no' but looking at the pleading eyes of the boy he caved "Sure" he never could stand the sight of children crying.
The boy sighed with relief "Are we going to help the others in the junk yard?"
"No" The Doctor put his foot down, momentarily forgetting he was speaking to a child. His bitterness had a habit of clouding all else around him "It's never enough for you people is it? I decide to do one decent thing and the next thing I know I'm expected to solve all your world's problems. Don't see why I ever bother when something new will just try to end your little planets next week" Astro's mouth hang open and the Doctor visibly flinched seeing it. The old man with the young face sighed and tried to explain himself "I've devoted my whole life to helping people and all I got in return was watching everyone I love die... I'm done little robot, don't ask me again" The boy turned his eyes at the little cleaning droid, worried to ask. "I'll still fix them just don't go thinking I intend to make a habit of it"
"Yes sir"
The Doctor visibly flinched again but quickly moved on, changing the topic "You should try finding those kids tomorrow, be nice to have someone to talk to other then a gruff old man. For now it's off to bed. Go on shoo, straight ahead and open the first door you see"
Astro wasn't about to question the alien was going to let him stay but "I could use a shower"
"Same instructions, you'll find everything you need"
"There's a bathroom connected to your guest room?"
"Oh little robot you're thinking in such three dimensional terms. The TARDIS will show you what you want when you want it. She's cool like that"
"TARDIS?"
"Well saying 'Time And Relative Dimension In Space' all the time can be a bit of a mouthful"
"Time?" He got the 'Relative Dimension' bit with it being bigger on the inside but 'Time'
"I have no intention of using that little feature anytime soon. I'm quite happy when I am now" the Doctor undoubtedly thought he was being clever and sneaky with his use of 'when' instead of 'where', counting on the fact most people would assume it was a slip of the tongue, but that made the gears in Astro's brain instantly click.
"This is a TIME MACHINE!" Astro gaped
The Doctor smiled widely "Go on, off to bed"
In a daze from clear culture shock Astro stumbled his way out of the room and deeper into the TARDIS. He recovered quickly and opened up the first door. It was a large bathroom with no sign of a bed. Why the Doctor said this was the way to the guest room he couldn't figure.
Shrugging he locked himself inside and removed his clothes... or tried to anyway. He tried to remove his boots first but upon realizing he wasn't wearing any and those were actually his feet he shrugged it off. No toes was was a fair tradeoff for rockets. It was when he got to the rest of his clothes that a clear issue popped up. His shirt and pants left his skin easily but when he got to his boxers... that's when he realized those WERE his skin! It was painted robot skin! He did what any teenager would do on realizing he lack the very important boy parts, he screamed his head off.
Within seconds the Doctor was bursting in, how he got through a locked door not even registering as a question to the boy's startled mind.
"I'M A GIRL!" Astro cried well the Doctor just sighed at him
"Your not a girl Astro" The Doctor groaned rubbing his temple as he was reminded he was dealing with a young boy "Robots just don't have any... you know"
"HOW DID MY DAD THINK I WOULDN'T NOTICE THIS!" Astro continued to yell. He didn't have nibbles or a belly button either.
The Doctor kept it to himself that the boy's designer was a far cry from sane "Don't you think it would be more worrisome if your dad took the time to craft that particular organ?"
"I'm thirteen! I just figured out what it's for!"
The Doctor shook his head "Then I'm sure you won't miss it. Now go on into the shower, you're filthy" it was a good hour before the boy was calm enough to do as the Doctor asked
Astro felt like crying again as he washed himself but managed to keep his eyes dry... then he tried washing his hair and realized he didn't have any. It was a flexible colored metal like the rest of his body. It was strong but soft to the touch, feeling much like skin. His head was just shaped like his favorite hairstyle but what if he wanted to change it? That thought led to another that did produce tears.
When the Doctor came back with fresh clothes he sighed finding Astro sitting in the shower hugging his knees.
"Come on it's going to be okay"
"I'm a kid" Astro whispered "I'm going to BE a kid for the rest of my life. I'm never going to grow up. I'm never going to get married. I'm never going to have kids of my own. I'm going to be a kid forever. Any friends I make I'll have to watch grow old and die" The Doctor looked on sadly, having personal experience with the flaws of near immortality when the rest of the universe wasn't built that way. Slowly Astro looked up at the Doctor with big pleading eyes literally begging for answers "Why?" he asked "Why would dad do this to me?"
The Doctor placed the clothes onto the counter before walking into the shower. He knelt down, not caring the water was soaking him and pulling the boy into a hug "Your dad... sometimes when a person experiences tragedy something in them breaks. They lose themselves. They can't think rationally anymore"
"... You mean he's insane" Astro muttered
"Losing a child is not something people are meant to handle. He loved Toby very much and that love compelled him to make you. There's nothing wrong with you, nothing could be"
"You're only here cause you don't think of me as 'naked'"
"And your crying hysterically. I fear your eyes may pop out"
Astro gave a weak chuckle and slowly curled his own arms around the Doctor. No thoughts in his head as to how the Doctor could know all these things about him and his dad. All he wanted in that moment was comfort.
###
A/N:
This is an AU and continuation of my Paradox Unleashed series where the Time Lords evolved inside the Time Vortex and have limited superpowers over time. To get an understanding of how the Time Lords of this universe work as well as the universe itself please read "Paradox Unleashed, Chapter Zero" however each new companion must learn the Doctor's story for themselves so you can read this fic and experience it with the new companion just like in the show. I still recommend reading 'Paradox Unleashed, Chapter Zero' as it is a summary of the entire crossover universe. That story kind of sucks and is pretty boring as it's just an explanation of the universe in the form of a classroom lecture, featuring a few snappy remarks by the Doctor as a child.
This Saga of the Doctor's adventures follows his travels with Astro Boy.
No Clara means no Clara echoes running around the Doctor's timeline. Instead we get Amy Pond echoes who have been appearing throughout the Doctor's Timeline since he first left Gallifrey and have actually been a part of my Doctor Who crossover since the beginning. The story of the actual Amy Pond is largely the same. The reason the Doctor first wanted to take the little girl he first saw when he regenerated with him was because of the crack eating away at her life but when he left for "five minutes" from his perspective there was a glitch in the TARDIS and he appeared 12 years later. This is when he found out that the little girl had grown up to be the woman who keeps appearing in his life and was determined to take her with him to keep this one safe. He thought it was the Crack in her wall that fed off her mind and sent echoes of her all throughout the Timeline. He thought it was as simple as that and did not believe this was a trap for him as he had in Canon with Clara. Amy and the Doctor came to be best friends and traveled the universe, eventually getting Amy's fiancee and later husband Rory to come along. Since there is no Clara instead it was Amy who jumped into the Doctor's Time stream to save him, only she truly died and the Doctor couldn't get her back. As a result an infinite number of Amy Pond echoes were scattered throughout his life, including his future. He still occasionally runs into an Amy Echo which only serves to remind him how she sacrificed herself for him. This has caused the Doctor to turn cold and stop helping people.
Also for this Saga I'm going to keep Doctor Tenma as a dangerous lunatic but the backstory is based on the movie not the manga. I'm taking bits and pieces from the anime and the movie to make this world. Tenma will fall deeper into his delusion that Astro is actually Toby and go to great lengths to protect his son by creating powerful robots to battle the boy and make him stronger. He wishes for his son to become a robot overlord and is trying to prepare him for that. He has absolute faith that nothing he builds can actually kill Astro and doesn't care when his inventions kill bystanders. Faith in Astro's abilities means he will build some pretty nasty things to challenge him as he hunts Astro across space and time.
The Robot Revolutionary Front will be a lot more dangerous and badass in this fic then in the movie. They are an actual threat to humanity.
Then there's Hamegg, Oh God is he evil in this story but he's the type of evil that rationalize his immoral acts. He thinks of himself as a good person.
This first few chapter are as antsy as Astro is going to get. The rest will be much more cheerful but I wanted to realistically reflect how someone would react to this situation. Astro is naturally a very cheerful child but this is too much for anyone to handle.