Hi guys, Minebot here. You may have read my other story, "The Run that Never Ends". I've decided to discontinue that and begin my work on this.

This first chapter is just a little prologue to whet your appetite, while I get to work on the actual story. Please send any suggestions about the story to me through private message, and don't forget to leave some reviews!

Disclaimer: None of the characters (besides a certain OC that will be unveiled later on) or settings belong to me. These creations all belong to the BBC and Steven Moffat.

Chapter 1

An Unfriendly Reminder

"Doctor, can I ask you something?"
"Of course, Timothy."
"My name is Billy, Doctor."
"Ah, of course. I was just testing you. I guess I'm getting old faster than I thought."

The Doctor loved moments like these. He finally felt like the father that he never really had the chance to be. Although, a regular father wouldn't have had to watch generations of his 'children' pass away in front of his eyes. But still, carpe diem.

"Yes, Billy, what do you want to know?"
"Well, you told us that one time the TARDIS took the body of a woman to communicate with you."
"Yes, it was truly a memorable experience."
"But how is that possible? Isn't the TARDIS just a machine?"

The Doctor took a second to ponder an answer. Yes, technically the TARDIS was just a machine, but at the same time it was not. It was a little too complex for his old mind.

"Yes, I suppose it is just a machine," the Doctor replied. "But then again, it's a machine built in a completely different world at a different time. It's technology is so close to life, that it basically is life."
"But it is just a machine, right?"
"Well… oh fine, yes it is just a machine. When you get down to the bare facts. What is the point to your question, young one?"

"Well, if it is just a machine, doesn't that mean that it can be taken over? Dad tells me that technology can easily be duped. He's never really liked machines and all that sort of stuff."
"I can't really blame him." The Doctor had had multiple conflicts with machinery in his past. "Remember the cybermen? Or the smilers? If we give it too much power, Technology will bite back. This is why the TARDIS is always allocated to a master. Sometimes, we choose the TARDIS. Othertimes, it picks us."

"Has the TARDIS always followed you?"

The Doctor couldn't answer this properly. There was a time, a little speck in his life yet still one of the most important moments in his life, where his 'old girl' was his worst enemy. He turned away from the child. "Isn't it time you all went to bed? It's a new year tomorrow, best wake up early."

And as the children scampered back to their homes, the Doctor sat in his rocking chair, reminiscing of a time darker than all.