Sleep over
An Astro/Atlas fan fiction
By Dan Rush
( c) Astro Boy 2003 Sony Pictures. Atlas Boy 1980 Tezuka Productions. All rights respected.
Over Metro City
Atlas turned around and hovered, stopping Astro as he held onto Atlas's gift teddy bear from Fire House Seven. "Now...if I show you where I live? You promise not to tell anyone?"
"Nobody." Astro replied.
"You tell anyone? And I'll really destroy you...understand?" Atlas said as he got nose to nose with Astro.
"Oh sure." Astro replied jokingly. "Sure you will."
Atlas frowned..."Shut up?" He snorted as he turned and started flying again. "What am I thinking?" He said to himself. "Have I gone stupid? I shouldn't be charitable at all with this soppy weakling? I should take the weapons I got now and totally tear him apart..."
Atlas looked back..."He's smiling...ugh that ticks me off so bad! How stupid can a robot get? He has me repaired, he up-guns me to match him...what is this dufus thinking?"
"Man...he looks like such a puss with that teddy bear, glad I'm not carrying that." Atlas huffed as he slowly started decending and soon dropped down among the buildings of an old car factory.
"This...is it?" Astro asked as he fumbled with the stuffed animal. "It's an old car factory."
"Yeah..." Atlas replied. "A total dump but I don't use the whole property."
Atlas stopped before the main assembly building and stood nose to nose with Astro again. "Are you SURE...sure that you won't tell anyone?!"
"I already said I wouldn't." Astro replied.
"I just want it to be clear...I don't trust you...at all. You're a sympathetic, human hugging pussy bot. I barely tollerate you...just so we're clear with each other?" Atlas huffed as he motioned Astro through the opening between the large front doors.
And when Astro saw the blue Dodge Charger...he almost drooled. "Gasp...wow...wow...wow... a 68 Dodge Charger? You don't find these anymore! Not in Japan!" The boy bot yelped as he set the stuffed bear on the hood and "oogled" silly..."White wall mag wheels? Panther Pipes? The interior is cherry sweet? Where did you find this?"
Atlas rudely slapped Astro's hands..."Don't touch it! Don't you have mannors?"
"It just that this is such an awesome car!" Astro replied. "How did you get it?"
"It's not mine." Atlas replied. "It belongs to my roomie and if he catches you putting your hands on it? He'll kill you worse than scrap metal."
Atlas had to snatch Astro by the hand. "Come on, get the lead out of your butt! Sheesh you're so easilly distracted, it's a wonder Skunk's never gotten the drop on you."
"Oh like he ever could that idiot." Astro said as he hugged the teddy bear and followed Atlas to a ladder. "Are we going up to that loft?"
Atlas sighed..."No stupid, we're gonna climb for giggles...let me go first so my roomie doesn't blow your head off?"
Inside what would account for a living room...Bender Rodreguez sat on a couch popping nuggets of chormium and sipping a bottle of San Miguel beer while watching a movie as Atlas poked up through the trap door...
"Yo! Where you been Atlas? It's been like two weeks and you never called me." Bender said as Atlas stood by the trap door in the floor. "Just...think of it as a vacation. Actually I did some things with the Fire Department and...
As Astro climbed through the trap door...Bender paniced...
"&*^! *&%# " The robot yelled a machine gun worth of swears as he swing behind the couch and pulled a laser blaster rifle which caused Astro to whip one of his arms into a plasma cannon...
"WOE! WOE!" Atlas yelped as he jumped between the two bots. "Everybody chill out!"
"What the *&%%$ in Sam Hill is that little son of a bitch doing here?!" Bender snarled.
"Pull that trigger and you'll find out what this little son of a bitch can do to you!" Astro yelped back.
Atlas slapped Astro's arm. "Change that back?"
"Tell him to put the rifle down." Astro commanded.
Atlas huffed at Bender. "Lower the rifle Bender?"
"Screw that little prick!" Bender snapped.
"UGH! IDIOTS!" Atlas screetched as he grabbed Astro off the floor then flew past Bender, snatched up the plasma rifle and broke the barrel off...
"WHAT...THE...HELL?!" Bender yelled. "Do you know how long it took me to get that? How much that thing costs?"
"Oh like it will do any good against Astro?" Atlas snapped back. He then turned to Astro and growled at him..."Turn...that stupid...arm cannon off...please?"
Astro turned his arm back to normal and Atlas put him on the floor. "Now...Astro? This is Bender Rodreguez. Bender? This is..."
"The little bastard. Yeah...obviously." Bender snorted.
"And like I'm impressed with you too...creep." Astro said frowning as Atlas pushed him towards a flight of stairs...
"Ok...greeting was a little rough but that will do...why don't you go upstais and see my room Astro while I have a conversation with Bender?" Atlas asked.
"If he owns that car?" Astro replied. "I'm sorry for it."
"Please stop being so antagonistic?" Atlas asked softly. "Be your usual sappy nice self for once?"
Astro walked up the stairs as Atlas turned, sighed and went to sit next to Bender...
"What...the...*&^%...is up with this stupid &^&* Atlas?" Bender asked snorting.
"What does it look like?" Atlas replied.
"That you've lost your fricken gord." Bender replied. "You brought our hated enemy here? That little drooler, that human kissing..."
"Enough of the insults Bender? I'm pretty beat right now?" Atlas replied with a hand wave. "And any case...I...I sort of owe him a little...for some stupid reason...he saved my life."
"Oh?" Bender huffed. "He saved you so he can screw you down the road is what he did. I don't trust that little bastard one bit no matter what he does for robots...and you shouldn't trust him!"
"You'll just never understand." Atlas said rubbing his hair. "I've always said that I prefer him as my ally, not a pile of scrap. Besides...beating the snot out of him is getting rather old, I don't see him suddenly changing on the count I can now really beat the snot out of him."
Bender scratched his head. "What do you mean?"
"There was a real bad fire two weeks ago and I jumped in to save some firemen...well...I got seriously damaged...I should be dead but Astro begged his human "handler" to save my life and not only save me but upgrade me. I'm probably more powerful than Astro now."
"Well...that's the mark of a stupid kid." Bender replied. "Talk about weak...take advantage of it Atlas? Go up there, drag that little mutt down here and lets tear him apart!"
Atlas stood up shaking his head. "And then I'd be left miserable."
"And why's that?" Bender replied.
"Because I'd never know the reason why?" Atlas replied as he walked to the stairs.
The bed room was rather small. The bed sat to the right of the stairwell and the walls to the left and back were ringged with bookshelves, cabinets and Chester draws with all sorts of firefighter things from books to toy trucks to models to pictures on the walls. Astro had put "Pookie" the stuffed bear in the corner of Atlas's bed and was looking over a finished model of a firefighting ladder truck...
"It's nice." Astro said as he looked around the room. "You turned this whole place into an apartment?"
"Yeah..." Atlas replied with a shrug. "I didn't steal any of this for your information."
"I wasn't thinking you did." Astro replied. "Where did you find a lot of this stuff?"
Atlas sat on his bed..."Gomie piles. I fixed the solar array on the roof for the power and piped water from the old water tank outside to a heater I found so I have cold and hot water. Bender did most of the repair work. This used to be the Supervisor's office above the main assembly plant. It was a Nissan factory till like fifteen years ago."
Astro was studying the model intently..."You even did the marking on the tires and put mud spots on the bottom? You really detailed this nice."
Atlas got up and walked up next to Astro. "That is a Tamaya model of a Mark 8 MACK ladder truck from Brooklin Fire Station 23 that was at the World Trade Center on September 11th 2001. A lot of firemen died in that attack."
Astro looked at Atlas..."You sure like firemen...then again you are colored red."
"My skin has nothing to do with it." Atlas replied. "Firemen are the most noble and selfless beings in the world. They inspire me a lot. It's what filthy humans will never achieve."
"That sounds kind of a lame insult seeing as how most firemen are humans." Astro said as he put the model down.
"I don't think so." Atlas huffed. "There's more worthless humans than firemen which makes firemen a group to themselves."
Astro wandered around the room looking at all the colective things. "You're pretty good at being organized. My room might be called a pig stye compared to this."
Atlas huffed. "It's not always like this. I hate having perfect organization. Often I'll clutter it up for days with sheets, dirty clothes and toys just to have something to do or get Bender to make me clean it."
"Giggles"...Astro chuckled. "I do it to make my sister squeel...she has a room so perfect and she's such a diva hound that I can leave a dirty sock in the hallway and she blasts off for the moon."
"I don't want to be ten miles near her." Atlas snorted.
"Oh come on..." Astro said smiling. "She absolutely adores you! You know she has a huge poster of you in her room?"
Atlas dropped his arms..."You're kidding me?"
"No...had it made just for her from one of the pictures I took of you with my eyes before that one time you bashed them to bits...remember? It was like a classic Superman kind of pose...she pee'd herself silly when I put it on her wall." Astro replied.
"Hmph...all I remember is when she chucked me through that picture window and cussed me out on the lawn...little hellion." Atlas snorted.
Astro snickered. "You...are a greater hero in her eyes than me."
"No..." Atlas replied snorting. "Is she stupid?"
"Don't call my sister stupid!" Astro snapped as he pushed Atlas back on his bed. "She's got your brain! She thinks like you, that I'm too close to humans, that I need to do more for robots that I'm the one picking on poor defenseless you all the time. She was infatuated with Justin Beaver for like...a day and then right back to you. You think I wasn't jelious?"
Atlas sat up..."You know? Between you and me...we really don't know a lot about each other. Probably because I never gave you any chances...
Astro replied..."No...you can't ever learn to shut up and stop talking like a moron with a stick up the butt."
"What was that supposed to mean?" Atlas snorted back.
"When you first showed up in Metro City?" Astro replied waving his hand around. "You sounded like such a dork! Where did you get all these silly lines, were you like...watching Disney channel kids shows a thousand times?"
"Look who's talking?!" Atlas huffed back. "You always talk like...like...a goffy kid at a school spelling bee! Absolutely not intimidating at all to me! It was a fishing lure for...kick my ass, I'm such a push over!"
Astro threw his hands on his hips..."Oh yeah? And what was this the first time you dropped in? Hands on your hips, your whole body thrust out with this big wide curve in it and that speech? Did Bender write that or did you get it off an Iron man comic book on the way? You looked ridiculous!"
Both boy bots stared at each other and then laughed...
"You are so right!" Atlas yelped. "I thought It would be imposing and then I saw Alegio giggling and I was so embarrassed. And that stupid speech? Dragonball Z."
"giggles"..."After like the fifth time?" Astro replied. "Abercrombie dragged me by the hand out of sight and he's like..."You need to grow a pair of nuts! God ...Astro! You sound like such a whimpy whiner..." He grabbed my cheeks and was trying to get me to make these threatening faces? I felt like a real dumb ass."
Both boy bots giggled themselves silly then Atlas rubbed his head. "How about this? We...we should try and know more about each other so...if you'd feel comfortable...let's play 21 questions."
Astro cocked his head. "21 Questions?"
"We ask each other questions up to 21...anything that comes to mind as long as its' not technically compromising or would put us at risk for anything...you gain?" Atlas asked.
Astro sat on the floor. "No lies." He said pointing. "I know you have the ability to lie. If I ask any question, you have to be truthful."
"Ok." Atlas replied. "Can I start?"
"Sure." Astro said nodding.
Question 1:
Atlas: Hmmmm...why did you save me?
Astro: Because I felt you were worth a chance. Because...I like you. Because...I never thought you were bad to begin with.
Atlas: Even after all the times I busted you up, tore off your arms and legs, broke your eyes and all but used you for a baseball bat?
Astro: And how many times did you get off clean shaven?
Atlas: Where do you come up with these dumb phrases? Clean shaven? Ummmm...I didn't get off too many times. In fact...I don't remember a lot of times.
Astro: That's because I knocked your power out and had people from the Ministry of Science do the repair work. Don't ask all the stuff I had to do for bribes.
Atlas: Remember how I said you were stupid for saving your rival?
Astro: Yeah...
Atlas: Forget stupid...moron fits better.
Question 2:
Astro: Why...do you hate me?
Atlas: Because the way you act with humans makes me believe you'd sell the rest of us robots out to a melting kettle because to you humans are more worthy than robots. I hated you...because you always seem to want them to be your friends without having a thought they may someday stab your back.
Astro: And if I decided to do what you do and have a hostile attitude towards humans? What would they do? We can't treat them with a ton of mistrust, that's not the way we get to where we want to be.
Atlas: I never said you should be hostile...I said you should be less trusting. Big difference...or don't you remember how trusting you were when you almost got "jacked" by those North Koreans? I don't care if humans made us and we owe them for it...Robots can't trust humans so blindly as you have.
Astro: And you taking apart people's trucks and machines like Rubics Cubes doesn't engender more sympathetic humans to our side.
Question 3:
Atlas: What's the point of going to school with humans? You're a robot.
Astro: Because you can't get a good understanding of humans by googling Doctor Spock, besides between emergency calls and sleeping...life would be boring as heck. I tried sitting around all day playing "cat's cradles"...it sucked.
Atlas: But we have so much access to all the information we need. And while you're sitting in a classroom playing "Black board Bachi" there's things outside that need attention.
Astro: Black board Bachi?"
Atlas: Ok...it sounded sort of there, don't diss me.
Question 4:
Astro: Name one thing you admire about me?
Atlas: Persistence
Question 5:
Atlas: Name one thing you admire about me?
Astro: You really care about robots.
Atlas: Oh come on...
Astro: What?
Atlas: You don't envy my hair?
Astro: Well...it is cool.
Atlas: I care about robots? You really think that?
Astro: Yes I do. Absolutely. You really show an honest passion for caring.
Atlas: So do you.
Question 6:
Astro: Do you have a favorite food?
Atlas: Pizza
Astro: Really?
Atlas: Well I didn't think anything of human food until Bender introduced me to thick pan, knowing I could eat and enjoy it. You have a favorite?
Astro: Four meats
Atlas: We connect on something!
Question 7:
Atlas: If you could be me? What would you change?
Astro: That dumb Indian cloth
Atlas: What's so dumb about it?
Astro: You look like a dork? Yellow? Yeah it kinda fits with the hair but you're not hiding anything under it and it just looks totally useless and stupid. Like how many times did I use that thing for leverage to punch your face in?
Atlas: Kind of a weak spot isn't it?
Astro: Totally weak
Question 8:
Astro: If you could be me? What would you change?
Atlas: Your stupid hair.
Astro: I can't change it. I need these for communications and flying. If I don't have them, I don't have stability.
Atlas: You could have real looking hair with nanite technology.
Astro: It's too expensive
Atlas: Screw that...Bender knows a professor that could do it for you on the cheep. You need natural looking hair so girls might get interested. Plus?...I never did like this "cat look"...it's kinda dorky.
Question 9:
Atlas: Do you hate Doctor Tenma?
Astro: No
Atlas: He was a complete bastard. I know he treated you like crap. Beating you with brooms? A stupid shock ring? You should have kicked his face in.
Astro: You might but I couldn't. Besides it wasn't his fault, he went through a lot of pain and he made me. Regardless of what he did? I could never bring myself to hate him.
Question 10:
Astro: Do you hate your creator?
Atlas: Yes
Astro: A sore subject for now?
Atlas: Yeah
Question 11:
Atlas: What is the absolute dumbest thing you ever did?
Astro: The Metro City Mall disaster
Atlas: Yeah...that was classic
Astro: Well you were chasing the guy and you never said what he did.
Atlas: Well you didn't take the time to ask.
Astro: I did! After you chewed me out.
Atlas: Yeah? And then you punched me stupid.
Astro: Because you called me a little bitch!
Atlas: Ok...sheesh...let's move on ok?
Question 12:
Astro: What;s the dumbest thing you ever did?
Atlas: Meeting Livian Asano
Astro: The girl robot photographer?
Atlas: I knocked her photo drone out of the sky because it was hovering too close to the scene of a fire and getting in the way of the Chief's helicopter.
Astro: What did she do?
Atlas: She socked my right eye and broke it.
Astro: And then you asked her for a date?
Atlas: I was very smitten with her toughness.
Astro: So did she accept your offer?
Atlas: She socked my other eye out.
Astro: Tough to play huh?
Question 13:
Atlas: What's the one stupid thing humans have done that you absolutely despise?
Astro: Nuclear weapons
Atlas: Really? I think so too!
Astro: Absolutely pointless. Waste of energy and money. Poisons the Earth. Can't be employed on any suitable battlefield. They suck. Why humans made such weapons is beyond me.
Atlas: Replacements for small organs?
Astro: I was thinking the brains Atlas?
Atlas: Well...George Carlin is right. They shape them all like big penises.
Astro: To you? Everything is shaped like a penis
Atlas: Just move on?
Question 14:
Astro: What's the one stupid thing our kind has ever done that's really made you mad?
Atlas: Last years Superbowl halftime show with KISS.
Astro: You didn't think that was cool?
Atlas: It was stupid. Especially all the soccer ball robots. And why KISS? Why not Bruce Hornsbey?
Astro: You like Bruce Hornsbey?
Atlas: Great sleeping music.
Astro: Yeah it is! Another thing you and I are close on. See?
Atlas: You're still a dufus.
Question 15:
Atlas: If I need to improve on anything? What is it?
Astro: You...stink. I mean honestly? You really stink some times...like oil change and dirty diapers.
Atlas: What do you want on a hot day in Metro City getting thrown into everything? Like I'll come up smelling like Pledge?
Astro: It's called a bath...take one.
Question 16:
Astro: If I need to improve on anything? What is it?
Atlas: The way you talk...it's so irritating it's sick.
Astro: What's wrong with my voice?
Atlas: You're pitch. You sound like a screetchy girl, it's annoying as hell.
Astro: Well if I said you sound like a stupid jerk, how would you feel?
Atlas: Gifted.
Question 17:
Atlas: How do you really see humans?
Astro: Pleasantly frustrating
Atlas: Pleasant? A little note of disaproval in your tone.
Astro: Ok...a lot of times they leave me kicking cans and swearing curses in vain at them.
Atlas: This is a sudden surprise. I thought you were generally approving of humans?
Astro: They're not perfect and absolutely they are so short of us robots. At least when you got ready to beat me up? There was always honesty, openess and boldness with you...humans sometimes do stuff that makes me want to rip my head off and spike it.
Atlas: Which makes me wonder how you tolerate them?
Astro: A lot of patience and aspirins.
Question 18:
Astro: How do you really see humans?
Atlas: If we let them go by themselves, they will blow the earth up.
Astro: Yeah...another point of agreement.
Atlas: And no...I don't want them in cages.
Astro: Sometimes it might be helpful.
Question 19:
Atlas: Are there things between us that are compatable?
Astro: I think so. We're already up to 20 questions and we have a lot in common.
Atlas: Except I'm much cuter than you.
Astro: Bite me.
Question 20:
Astro: Out of anyone's sight?...have you secretly liked me?
Atlas: yes
Astro: How long has that been brewing?
Atlas: About five minutes
Astro: Liar.
Question 21:
Atlas: If you could be human? Would you?
Astro: No. I like my long lasting parts.
Atlas: I'd like to be human...at least look like I'm a boy.
Astro: I know...but we can't be anatomically correct because of the laws.
Atlas: Why should anyone know if we were?
"Wow..." Atlas said as he scratched his hair. "We actually are not far apart from each other in a lot of stuff."
Astro replied..."I never thought we would be...which is why I held off working with Inspector Towashi and being so obstinate with Doctor O'Shay. But we could never have any time to stop beating each other senseless to do any talking."
"I'll say." Atlas replied as he lay back against his teddy bear. "Guess how I met Bender? Wild guess?"
Astro thought..."Probably got run over."
"Dong! Right." Atlas replied. "Decided to walk the rest of the way home, nice day. He comes screaming around the corner and creams me in the crosswalk...I didn't even dent the car bumper that thing is so crazy strong. Anyway...he hated humans, I loathed humans and we clicked."
Astro smiled. "Have you...driven it?"
"The car? Oh yeah...without his permission of course when he wasn't home...out on some delivery jog to Mars base I think...yeah, it is the sweetest sounding muscle car in the world." Atlas lay flat on his back and looked up at the ceiling. "And the engine? Purrrrrrfectly ginger sweet. And the craziest thing about the car? Bender put a female A.I. In it."
"Why didn't she say anything?" Astro asked.
"The car's off." Atlas replied. "When she's on though?...Oooooooough! The voice! If I had a penis it would be like a rock of granite! She is sooooooooo awesome and cute. Makes me want to steal her."
Astro laughed..."That would be a messed up elope scene..."
Atlas sat up..."So you have a girlfriend?"
"No." Astro replied moaning. "They don't make enough girl bots in Japan. I mean...I can't have a human girl friend obviously because they physically age. I made the mistake of forgetting that and I had one once..."
"Didn't end exactly nice did it?" Atlas asked.
"No." Astro replied.
The boys looked at each other for a bit..."Do you want a pizza?" Atlas asked.
"Pull my leg?" Astro replied. "You gonna get it?"
"nope. I get it delivered." Atlas replied. "You never knew I had some robots who actually like me. I get the pizzas from "Ubber-Jino's" downtown...they make a sweet meat and veggie thick crust."
End of part 1