The Doctor continued to tinker with the bodies he was making. Just basic android bodies, designed very much like children, to give Astro some companions. Being a child forever wouldn't be so bad if he had friends with him. Besides older robots, like these, had very primitive AIs, which made them behave very much like children. It might turn out badly if people treated them like adults.
He was giving the bodies many of the same functions as the droids had to keep things familiar, as well as adding a few things so they could speak more easily and taste food.
He was even going so far as to base much of their design, on Astro himself. Just without the weapons, and allowing their Directives to grow and expand.
Despite Astro's demand, The Doctor was not giving them... boy parts. They were robots and had no need for such parts. The kid wasn't going to let that go anytime soon however.
The Doctor could give them human like skin, laced with sensors, much like Astro's, but more human looking hair. He was actually using many of the scraps Astro provided for the interior.
Smirking, the Doctor stole a peek at the boy who sat at the other side of the workshop, reading a book on 5th dimensional physics.
Where the Doctor would have to explain himself, to most of his companions, Astro instantly figured out so much on his own. The boy was brilliant, beyond brilliant. He didn't just keep up with the Doctor he rivaled him intellectually, but he was young, inexperienced.
He was smart enough, but he still had much to learn to properly apply it. He needed more wisdom, but he couldn't find that in a library. Even a library containing a copy of every book that could ever be written.
Being a boy he didn't spend all his time reading the sciences of the universe. He liked the fictional teen novels he came across, and a good deal of the more advanced college level material.
His mind processed information so quickly he could read hundreds of books in a day, but he tried to pace himself so he could enjoy it more.
He also discovered the media room, which had every movie and video game ever made. He liked to pig out on junk food, from the never ending pantry, or the always perfectly preserved and self stocking refrigerator in the kitchen.
When he found out it wasn't possible for him to get fat, as his stomach wasn't designed to absorb food but disintegrate it (much like the designs the android bodies were going to have) he began eating everything he was never allowed high doses of.
He liked to point out that eating was just a luxury for him, and as he only did it for the taste he shouldn't be forced to eat food he didn't like. The Doctor dismissed this and assured the boy if he kept eating his veggies, at dinner time, his tastebuds would grow to like them.
It was nice having a child to care for again, and the Doctor was quickly feeling like a parent. He could handle retirement gleefully if it could remain like this. Still parenthood had it's drawbacks.
"Get out," The Doctor ordered.
"Huh?" Astro blinked looking up from his book.
"You've been cooped up inside for over a week, go find somewhere to play." The boy had bounced back quickly from that horrible first couple of days after his activation. It wasn't in his nature to remain miserable.
Still it seemed as if he was hiding on the TARDIS. The Doctor could understand that the infinite, ever changing universe inside the blue box was an amazing place to explore, but no matter how tempting it was you couldn't spend your entire life here. It was far too isolated.
"I was building sand castles on the beach just yesterday, and I spent the weekend camping in the forest."
"Those were just rooms you stumbled on," The Doctor dismissed.
"They stretched on FOREVER! I couldn't even see any walls. The freaking door I went through was just sitting their out in the open, and it was freaking following me the deeper I went into the forest."
"It better have, or else you would have gotten lost."
"There aren't any forests on my world Doctor, and only an idiot would step into the water, with how heavily polluted the ocean is. Shame there are no animals in the TARDIS though. It would have been cool to see what a bird looks like. You know an actual bird, not a robot."
The Doctor sighed, "I know it's all very exciting but you can't hide away in here."
"You do," Astro glared.
"Only to avoid an idol child loose on my ship," The Doctor informed to which Astro pouted with all the dignity of the two week old he was. "Alright if that's your excuse then no more." The Doctor hopped away from his invention, and out the door, with Astro hot on his heels.
"Where are we going?" Astro blinked.
"Into town, neither of us have actually seen it, so should be marvelous."
"I'm... I'm not really dressed for town." Astro looked down, at his short shorts and Pokemon shirt.
Pokemon were some creatures that lived out on a distant planet. The boy had been excitedly reading about them, and playing the videogames the Doctor had on the culture. Pokemon were undoubtedly the coolest things in the universe, but anyone not knowing what they were would assume Astro's shirt was from a little kids' cartoon. Most Pokemon were disturbingly cute.
"Nonsense you look fine," The Doctor dismissed. "Now come along little robot."