Toby walked around the junk yard. Carrying a large blanket, he was using for a sack. One of the malfunctioning robots gave it to him, after the boy charged his batteries, to keep it 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 so far, 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 mechanical 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 a anothers 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 trashcan 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. "This is definitely going down in my diary as the most exciting day of my life." The more she talked, the flatter and more bored her tone became.

"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, cuz 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 mechanical 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!" The alien 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 cuz 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.