He was a small child, alone in the world, and seemingly all together unaware of this fact. The citizens of Suggazoom were often caught staring in surprise as the little one would practically fly through the streets, laughing gaily and enjoying the sunlight. Though he really had no one to go home to, and had no one to answer to, he was a peaceful child with a deep understanding of what was right and what was wrong. Often he was seen defending those smaller than him, and also, much to the entertainment of the elders, he defended those larger than him as well. It seemed if there was a need, Chiro would try to fill it. True there were days where, like any child, Chiro wanted nothing more than to shirk responsibilities and spend the day in adventurous play, but he was one they could count on more often than not. The only thing they found most disturbing about him was his lack of friends. True everyone loved him, everyone acknowledged him, but there truly was not one person on all of Suggazoom who could tell you the boys hopes and fears, not anyone he would go to, to dry his tears. He was definately a loner, and even though he was much loved, none of the children dared get to know him. He was like something set apart from them, forbidden, and while they were brave enough to play with him, they were not brave enough to become truly close. So, in denying themselves his company, he too was denied. With this horrible truth in mind, the elders kept a close eye on the boy, worried of what may come of him till one fateful day, they left him to his own devices.
Chiro loved to explore. Often he would be found in ventilation systems, trying to find where they led and more often than not getting stuck. Only once had he cried from this, but had stopped when pulled out unhurt and covered in dust. No one had really comforted him, but then he hadn't needed them to. Ten minutes later he was back in the vents, searching through them gleefully. He had also been found below the city streets, wondering around happily without a clue that it could be dangerous for him, and not caring too much when the fact had been made known to him. Once, when Chiro was three, a man had come into his office to find the little boy digging around in one of the drawers of his filing cabinet, babbling away to himself about defending the world from something or other. He'd been a little upset about being removed from the drawer, but more than happy when the man had found that nothing was misplaced and gave him a chewy candy for protecting his papers so well. Chiro accepted the candy by popping it into his mouth and immediately set about exploring the mans office closet. Suffice to say, few were bored when Chiro was 'exploring'.
So it was when Chiro said he was going to explore the city that no one bothered to watch over him. They knew he was strong enough to take care of himself, and since he was older they felt that he would now know when to pull out and return home for the evening. Home being where ever the boy ended up being invited over for dinner and a warm bed. No family meant that Chiro belonged to everyone. He was Suggazoom City's boy, and they trusted him. It was this trust that allowed Chiro to roam the outskirts, and it was this trust that did not stop him from curbing his curiosity at the sight of an enormous robot that towered over him. He had entered the robot, excitement of this new 'adventure' and exploration urging him on through the darkened places. He was wowed by the enormity of the robot, and at the technology that it was made up of. Strange tubes sent him from one area to the next, finally depositing him in a large room that was ominously dark and silent.
Now, while most would have been frightened of this place and left, Chiro was excited and surged forward, looking at everything, touching what he felt would not fall apart and eyeing everything almost greedily in wonder. What would this red button do? How did this machine work? What is this lever thingy? This was the last silent question he'd had about the robot as he pulled said lever and was suddenly overwhelmed with power surging through his veins. He vaguely heard the robot power up as an earth shattering roar filled his ears and shook him to the very core. His very life's blood burned with something that consumed him and changed everything. He'd only a moment to hear someone groggily ask if it was time for breakfast before darkness enveloped him and he fell.
It was the next day before anyone knew what had happened, all of Suggazoom being surprised that their boy had awoken a Super Robot and the monkey team that resided within. At first they had been afraid for their boy. Was he alright? Would he be alright? Would he try to hurt them? Their fears fortunately were unfounded as Chiro had appeared before them, dressed in a strange white outfit, twin orange streaks seemingly painted on his face, the upper part completely white and making the blue of his eyes stand out more. He was confidence personified, his love for his city burning in his eyes as he told them of the monkey team and how they had pledged to help him protect Suggazoom from any evil that may befall it. No one had laughed at this proclamation, for there were always prophecies floating about telling of a great evil and they were always afraid of what could (or would) come. Now they had no fear as the Monkey Team stood before them, standing around Chiro as if to lend him their strength, and their promise. Sadly, it was with much regret that the citizens soon found that they could not understand the monkeys at all, but seeing as Chiro obviously could, they didn't worry. Chiro they could trust. Chiro they loved, and if Chiro felt he could trust this team of monkeys, then so could they.
Time passed, and the evil came only to be flung back by the Super Robot Monkey Team led by their beloved Chiro time and again. Suggazoom city enjoyed peace thanks to Chiro and his monkeys, and the citizens grew to love the robot team as much as they loved their boy. They were also relieved as a city to find that the monkey team adored Chiro enough to practically make him 'one of the family' giving him a bed to sleep in inside the robot, his new home. Though the monkey team seemed to see it as a good way to keep Chiro close in case he was needed in time of danger, the city saw it as Chiro finally finding someone to accept him completely and in that they silently rejoiced. Their beloved boy was truly loved now and finally understood by someone. Yes, Suggazoom loved him, but they barely understood their strange boy and now, somebody did. Monkey's though they were, they understood Chiro and that was enough for the elders. And secretly they celebrated that Chiro was no longer exploring the sewers or ventilation systems of the city. As amusing as it was, it was also a large amount of clean up for both them and the boy who would often come out smelling rather... interesting... in the end of his explorations.
As with all things, time passed and the citizens were often left wondering for the safety of their boy as the robot was want to travel all over the universe in search of the enemy that rarely let them rest. When on Suggazoom, battles were fought and won, and the citizens could see with their own eyes that their boy was safe. After they had all stopped running around screaming like ninnies of course. But when the robot was away, none could know of their boy, none could know what was happening and see his strength for themselves, and so it was during this time that one elder finally made his stand. Before all of Suggazoom he stood, his long coat billowing in the wind as the citizens came before him in wonder. It was not often that an elder would appear in the open as they were want to staying below, guarding themselves and the secrets of their home. The citizens usually came to them, not the other way around so this was a historical moment as the man held up his hands for silence and finally addressed them. To their surprise it was not about the safety of the city, nor was it an outburst of anger against the ones who defended them. No. It was about the protection of Chiro.
Everyone in Suggazoom is so quick to run and hide when the enemy comes, and no one ever tries to defend themselves, he had claimed. His words rang through the city, causing Suggazoom to shuffle their feet and hang their heads. But still, who needed to defend themselves when Chiro was about? This was a question the elder attacked, claiming that obviously Chiro would not always be there and it was their responsibility to do what he could not always do. And more importantly, they needed to protect Chiro. Now this was laughed at until the elder explained that their beloved boy was still just that, a boy. They had done him a great disservice that thankfully the boy never held against them by never even trying to understand him and though he was now cared for and loved beyond anything they had tried to do, he was still their boy and it was time they proved it. Clean up crews were nice yes, but there was more needed and hopefully in time (as the elder had put it) they would understand what was needed of them. He had left after that, disappearing back into the catacombs of the cities capitol and leaving all with a strange feeling in their hearts. Was it true that their boy, their great protector, needed them and their protection? What could they do, being mere humans while he was one who had the 'Power Primate'?
Many shook their heads, unsure and confused till a young boy shouted joyously. His parents stared as he told them, very pleased with himself at this, that he could finally help 'big brother Chiro'. When asked how he rolled his eyes and told them that supporting Chiro and standing up for Chiro were great ways, as Chiro had always stood up for and supported them.
"Do for Chiro what he has done for us!" The child had said. "I can always be brave for big brother Chiro!" When Chiro had become 'big brother' to the smaller children of Suggazoom was unknown, but then to any who was not a child he was often considered an estranged son and while to some it sent a warm heat coursing through them, many felt a freezing chill to their bones. Chiro belonged to Suggazoom, the son of their city, and often it seemed as if they had abandoned him to their fear, leaving him to face it on his own without help and more often than not, without hope. Now, they were even more thankful for the Monkey Team, as with them Chiro was never alone.
And it was with this understanding of what needed to be done that the prologue did end and the next chapter began...
Chapter 1
Antauri was listening in amusement as Sprx-77 and Nova fought verbally with each other over the matter of wether or not Nova had been 'eyeing' a certain young male from another world as Otto and Gibson happily threw in their own perspectives of the matter. Chiro was silent, having fallen asleep somewhere between Glorphious Prime and Galaxy 6-7-876, and was completely unaware of the rather strange conversation happening around him. The boy was worn out. Searching for the Skeleton King was no small task, and even though they were victorious time and again, Chiro was often the recipient of many a brutal beating. Still, he amazed them all by his ability to get back up again only to land the winning blow, but it did drain the poor boy.
"All I'm saying is, you were completely caught up in the guy!" Sprx's voice broke Antauri out of his musings over Chiro, causing the silver monkey to shake his head as Nova growled.
"I was not!"
"He seemed pretty caught up with Nova at least," Otto tossed in. "He was watching her everywhere she went!"
"Well he was a cat creature, and you know how cats are," Gibson said calmly, as if the conversation mattered little to him. The grin on his face said otherwise however. "He was probably thrown by her tail. She was moving it around a great deal as I remember."
"I was not! And how would you know Gibson, were you watching too?" Nova spat, causing Gibson to choke and turn an interesting shade of purple.
"No!" the blue monkey exclaimed. "And be careful what you say, there are children on board!" Otto chuckled at that as Sprx fumed, unable to speak.
"Chiro's still sleeping Gibson. Nova can say whatever she wants," he grinned devilishly.
"Thanks Otto."
"Yeah, thanks Otto," Sprx finally ground out, looking over at his screen to check on the sleeping Chiro. The boy was slumped in his seat behind the controls, his head resting against the back of the chair as his arms fell over the arm rests. The red monkey frowned before switching the screen to show Antauri. "Don't you think we should probably put the super robot on auto-pilot for a while? The kid can't be comfortable," he said. Antauri nodded slowly, considering this before sighing.
"We will have to wake him," he explained. Sprx waved him off.
"I can carry him. I've done it before," he claimed before detaching himself from his controls and shooting off through the tubes. Nova sighed, stretching her arms as she moved away from her own controls.
"I'll help him. Guy always gets himself into more than he can handle," she grumbled, before also disappearing into the tubes. Otto snickered as he, Gibson and Antauri detached and headed for the control room.
"Ah, love," the green monkey said cheekily as they exited the tubes into the large well lit room. Gibson snorted while Antauri shook his head. Sometimes silence was the better part of valor.
Meanwhile Nova was watching as Sprx carefully held a sleeping Chiro as they journeyed to the sleeping quarters, Chiro mumbling something about a filing cabinet in his sleep and causing the red robot to chuckle. The yellow monkey frowned at this in confusion, wondering how the comment could be funny as she followed Sprx into Chiro's room. Sprx was placing Chiro on his bed when Nova cleared her throat and he looked up. She stood in the doorway, her arms crossed as her face twisted in anger.
"I was not flirting with the cat creature," she said suddenly, causing Sprx to glare at her in return.
"Well you sure weren't doing anything to let him know you weren't interested," he growled softly, deactivating Chiro's battle suit, which caused the boys clothes to change back into pajamas much to the surprise of the red monkey. Startled, he stared at the boy for a moment before remembering that Chiro had been wearing his battle suit nearly twenty-four seven, rarely changing into anything else except when he was safe in the robot and back in bed. More often than not they were all called out of their sleep and into battle, seeing as the Skeleton Kings hand seemed to be everywhere in the galaxy. So Chiro rarely had time to dress in regular clothing. Nova noticed this, but brushed off her worry in favor of harassing Sprx, as here Chiro was safe and he could rest easy. Besides, this was familiar territory and their own way of winding down.
"Telling him that you were my betrothed wasn't exactly helpful either," she snapped. Sprx glared at her.
"Oh please. It got him to quit following you didn't it?" he asked as they both covered the boy with his blanket and turned to leave, shutting off the light. They both paused in the doorway to watch as Chiro sighed in his sleep and turned over. He was smiling now, the pinched expression he'd had before gone now that he was more comfortable. Quiet smiles lit the two monkey's faces and they turned back to the tube, heading to the control room. The argument continued there.
"It did not get him to stop following me!" Nova was saying as they entered the large room, Gibson and Otto looking up from where they were taking apart a piece of machinery on the floor. Antauri was sitting in his chair, reading a rather thick book Chiro had gotten for him one rainy day before leaving Suggazoom, and he sighed. Rolling his eyes he turned his chair away, his back facing his teammates as he curled into his chair happily, nose in his book. This did not however, shut out the sounds of the fighting. "The guy kept asking me to leave you and come away with him!" Nova was making a face as she said this, the words coming out in a lazy drawl used normally by one who felt they were of great importance and were often times, not.
"So you did talk to him!"
"Sure she did," Otto was giggling as he said this, removing a piece of circuitry and giving it his divided attention rather than look at his bickering friends. "They talked for many hours over 'romantical things'."
"Otto, romantical isn't even a word," Gibson pointed out, his eyes never leaving his work.
"I know. But 'Romeo' sure did use it a lot."
"Did he cough up a hairball afterwards?"
"Probably."
"Will you two just shut up? You're not helping!" Sprx snapped, causing his two 'brothers' to snicker as Nova 'tsked' and rolled her eyes.
"Oh grow up Sprx. I wasn't interested in the guy, never have been and never will be," she said, turning and walking to her own chair so she could sit and relax for a little while. "So just get over it and get your furry butt over here so I can beat you at this chess thing again. And leave your ego over there will you?" she snapped over her shoulder, causing the red monkey to growl at her. Otto snorted.
"Don't leave it over here," he muttered.
"Yes, take it with you please," Gibson added, causing Sprx to smack him upside the head. The blue monkey yelped and Sprx went after Nova, fuming.
"Yeah, I'll just tack it up on a wall somewhere," he called sarcastically over his shoulder. Moments later he was sitting across from Nova, deeply involved in their play. The rest of the trip was carried on his silence, save for the random exclamations of victory or a demanded rematch and the sporatic cracklings of energy and random cries of pain as either Gibson or more often than not Otto was shocked by whatever it was they were doing. Still, there were moments of complete silence and it was during one of these moments, as they were just coming in sight of Suggazoom, that they all heard the sound of someone coming down the tube to the control room. As one they all looked up or, in Antauri's case, turned around, and smiled, only to stare as Chiro stood before them in his pj's, one hand clutching his stomach as the other clung to the wall to steady himself. His face was a pale green and he looked at them all rather weakly.
"I threw up," he managed after a moment, his voice shaky and miserable. The monkeys looked at one another worriedly before Antauri put down his book and approached the boy, the others halting what they were doing to tend him as well.
"Come Chiro. It would be best if you were in bed," the silver monkey said, taking a hold of the boys arm gently. Chiro barely nodded, his eyes drooping as Nova gave him a worried look.
"Chiro, where did you get sick?" she asked.
"By my bed," he mumbled in reply. The monkeys all made a face before Gibson sighed.
"I'll go clean it up," he said, his voice resigned. "Why don't you just go sit for a little while Chiro? Try not to move around too much." he smiled at the boy, moving to find a bucket for him. Chiro watched him go, his eyes watering suddenly.
"I'm sorry!" he blurted, causing the others to try and calm him quickly.
"No way kid! It's fine, I'll even help him," Sprx said, gaining a relieved look from the blue monkey.
"You're sick Chiro, nobody can help that," Antauri said soothingly. Otto nodded, holding up a darkened hand.
"Yeah, not like shorting out your hand and stuff," he grinned, gaining a snort from Nova.
"I was wondering what you were doing over there," she commented. Otto merely gave them all a sheepish look as Chiro smiled weakly.
"Thanks guys," he whispered. They all nodded before Antauri led Chiro to his seat and Sprx and Gibson managed to bring the boy a trash can before rushing away to clean up whatever mess awaited them in Chiro's room.
It quickly became apparent to the others that sitting up wasn't doing Chiro any good, as his stomach rebelled against him furiously moments later, and they allowed him to lay on the floor. He seemed to calm some at this, his face slowly changing from pale green to fever pink. As this change came over him, Chiro began shivering and pressing his face against the metal floor complaining that he was hot one moment and cold the next. The monkey team could only stare at each other in worry. None of them really knew how to handle a sick human. Broken bones were one thing, a fever was another.
"We've got it all cleaned up in here. You can bring Chiro now." Sprx's voice coming over their communicators made them sigh with relief, Antauri choosing to be the one to tell Chiro to stand. This in itself was quite a task, as Chiro had quickly gone from nauseated, to unresponsive. He stared at the silver monkey blearily, understanding nothing of what the monkey was saying till Nova put a hand on his arm and began tugging. This he understood to some degree and sat up slowly with all three monkeys help. It quickly became obvious that he didn't have the strength to stand on his own and walk, so the three practically carried him to the tube, which immediately sent them to Chiro's room and tumbling to the floor as Chiro lost his balance and became sick again. Gibson and Sprx didn't react to that as much as when Chiro fell and were immediately at his side, helping the others get him up and to the bed. Otto was the one on clean up duty this time, as Gibson took one look at Chiro and began barking out orders.
"Put him on the bed, get him under the covers. Nova, get a cold cloth, quickly. Antauri if you will, go down to my lab, there is a thermometer down there used by humans to gauge their temperatures. Please retrieve it for me. Sprx..." here the blue monkey paused, Antauri and Nova already giving their affirmative and leaving the room quickly. The red monkey had set himself down on the bed, one hand on Chiro's forehead as the boy turned his face towards him. Gibson smiled weakly and shook his head. "Keep him comfortable," he said softly. "That's really about all we can do."
"We'll have to get him to a doctor when we get to Suggazoom," Otto tossed over his shoulder to them as he mopped the floor diligently. "The humans might know more about this." Gibson nodded at the mechanics words.
"Yes, but how will we get them to understand?" he asked. Sprx frowned at him.
"Leave that to me," he said, his voice heavy with determination. Next to him Chiro grunted and mumbled something unintelligible before sinking deeper into his fever induced sleep.
Chapter 2
When the Super Robot had landed in the middle of the city, no one was really worried. It was often on arriving home that the Robot Monkey Team would arrive there to let everyone know they were home and that they were safe. However, when the red monkey came flying out of the robot like a bat out of hell, several people became nervous. Where was Chiro? Why wasn't he coming out to greet them? After all, it was normal for the boy to come out and at least take a look at his beloved city before either retiring back into the robot or rushing down to find himself some kind of diversion from the realities of everything he had been through or would soon be facing. Those who had been out in the streets to see the robot land paused in their doings, while those who had been inside opened their windows to look out in worry. Moments later the red monkey returned with a man in a long white coat in tow. Immediately all questions were banished and the people began rushing into the streets to stand at the feet of the Super Robot. If the monkey had a doctor, something must have happened to Chiro. Only now, they could only wonder at what.
Meanwhile, Jeffery Thorton could only stare as he was dropped into what seemed to be the control room, medical bag in hand. When the one called Sprx-77 had appeared in his office hollering at him and pointing out the window almost frantically, he had quickly grabbed his bag and allowed the little robot to lift him up and away. Now he could do nothing more than allow Sprx to guide him to some strange tubes which immediately shot him up into another room, nearly causing him to loose his balance. Fortunately, the red monkey had a firm hold on him, and he was able to collect himself before taking a look around the room. When his eyes fell on Chiro, he froze. It took him nearly two seconds to come back to himself and he rushed to the boys side, immediately starting to take a temperature. A hand tugging at his sleeve caused him to look down and see the blue monkey holding a piece of paper out to him. He took one look at it and frowned.
"This was taken half an hour ago," he asked. The monkeys all nodded and his frown deepened. "This is too high. Did you use a cold compress?" Another nod and he began taking the boys temp again. "Let's hope it did him any good. If not, we've got to get him to the hospital." He worked in silence for a few minutes, the blue monkey quickly writing down answers on paper for him whenever he asked. He learned quickly that the boy was suffering from a high fever, chills, and had been sick to his stomach several times. Some times he was unresponsive to them, but after a few minutes of nudging and continued talking, they could get him to do what they needed him to.
To Jeffery this was not good news. The temperature he took was still too high and from what he could tell, Chiro was dehydrated. This for someone who had been vomiting was not a good situation.
"I need one of you to get some water," Jeffery said, searching through his back and biting back a curse when he found that he'd forgotten to grab a needle and bag for blood work. He looked up and realized the green monkey was gone, the others standing around expectant and nervous and he frowned. "Has Chiro made any other complaints, besides his stomach aches and chills?" Four monkey's looked at each other curiously before shaking their heads. The blue monkey began speaking, only to make a face and grab his now ever present notebook and pen, writing an answer of no, Chiro had made no other complaints. Of course, Chiro had been rather unresponsive to them and as the green monkey returned with a glass of water, Jeffery came to his decision. He lifted the boy up, with the help of the silver and red monkeys, managing to get the boy to drink before he let the boy lay back. He turned to the monkeys then, his face serious.
"I need a phone, we've got to get Chiro to the hospital."
Chapter 3
It was mid-afternoon before everything calmed and it was revealed to the people of Suggazoom that Chiro was very ill. Apparently due to all the work the Monkey team had been doing the boy had been unable to properly rest, which caused a drop in his immune system. Because of this he'd caught a virus that was causing a dangerously high fever, and other symptoms that worried doctors and got them working quickly. Chiro was dehydrated, from what they had been told, and while yes he was being cared for, it was very obvious that he would not be protecting Suggazoom for a while. At least not until he was in perfect health again. And without anyone to translate for the Monkey team, the little robots were obviously getting agitated. This of course did not sit well with the citizens of Sugazoom, as they were used to at least having someone who could tell them what the hooting and seemingly gibberish talk the monkey's used meant. Now that they didn't have that, many people had become prone to carrying around pens and paper in case they came across one of the robot monkeys, and in the case of the green monkey they usually ended up carrying around snack foods to give him as he was prone to asking for food. In all truth, it was rare to see the Monkey team roaming the streets as the five monkeys had stationed themselves in Chiro's hospital room, either reading, watching Chiro, or getting out of hospital personals way. And Chiro... he slept.
He had many visitors as the days past, though none tried to bother him as he rested. On the third day his temperature had dropped dramatically, giving the hospital staff a great deal of relief, not to mention the monkey team who had celebrated the moment it was revealed that Chiro was out of danger due to fever. However the fever, though now nearly low grade, still remained and the boy was still weak, so the staff began limiting the amount of visitors so Chiro would not be disturbed. (Some visitors were rather vocal in their worry while others were determined that 'special' music could help their boy.)
All in all, Suggazoom carried on almost as normal, more worried about their boy than being attacked. The monkeys seemed to forget about possible threats as well, their attention on Chiro and nothing else. It was on the fifth day, when Chiro was finally able to sit up and eat solid foods again, that something happened. A man appeared in the middle of the city streets in a crack of lightning and thunder, startling everyone with his strange arrival and looks. His clothes, or robes, were a bright green. His head was clean shaven and his purple grey eyes glared at them past a hooked nose. Everyone near him stopped and stared, wondering at this man till he opened his mouth to reveal crooked teeth and said;
"I have come for the one called Chiro!"
At this, silence fell over the people and they looked at one another in at first panic and then confusion. What could they do? Chiro was still unwell, and what could this man want? A young man, obviously in his late teens, stepped forward while looking back around him cautiously/ fearfully. No one stopped him and he took a deep breath as if to strengthen his resolve.
"Who are you and what do you want?" he asked. The strange man before him growled, eyes flashing.
"I have told you what I want. Chiro! As for who I am, it is of no consequence to you. Give me what I want and I promise you that my Lord will show mercy upon you," he snarled. The crowd frowned at him and no one moved, causing his face to darken further. "SPEAK!"
"Who is this lord of yours, and why should we give answers to someone whose name is unimportant?" the young man from before asked. The stranger said nothing to this, only lifting a hand. As he did this, the outspoken young man was lifted off the ground, much to the shock of all who were near. When the stranger waved his hand the young man was thrown backwards into the ground, much to the screams of all around.
"The Skeleton King will have Chiro. You will give him to me or you will all die! Where is Chiro?" the attacker yelled. There was silence before another stepped forward.
"What makes you think any of us know?" The speaker was an older woman, her face sharp and her grey eyes bright with anger. The two stood before each other like stone walls before the stranger snorted, a smirk on his face.
"Fine," he said. "You little fools may not know, but I'm sure you can find him. Give him over to the Skeleton King or die, your choice." That said, he disappeared in another crack of lightening, causing everyone to stand around, staring at each other as the young man from before limped over to the stern woman and frowned.
"We've got to tell the Monkey team."
Chapter 4
Antauri was sitting with his legs crossed, floating by the head of Chiro's bed with his eyes closed while Sprx sat, string on his hands and a disgusted look on his face as Chiro stared at the red monkeys hands in confusion. The string was a mass of twists and turns, knots and bows. In other words, it was a huge mess. While Otto stared on in wonder, and Nova and Gibson giggled in the background, Chiro blushed and looked at the open book in his lap.
"Um... I don't think it's supposed to... look like that..." he mumbled, a hand scratching the back of his head in embarrassment and weariness. Sprx groaned and hung his head as Otto cheered, his hands changing to his saw blades.
"I can cut you out now!" he exclaimed, causing Sprx to squawk and lean away.
"No way banana breath! You'll cut my hands off!"
"Don't worry, I can put 'em back on you!"
"Thanks, but you are not cutting me out of this."
"Aww..."
The saws turned back into hands and the little green robot pouted, gaining a sigh from Gibson.
"Here," the blue monkey said, handing Otto a pair of scissors. "These would be of better use than saws."
"Oh! Thanks Gibson!" Otto took the scissors happily, snipping away at the strings with his eyes closed as Sprx tensed and watched him warily. Chiro chuckled, leaning back into the pillows and closing his eyes wearily. There was silence for a moment, save for the snipping of scissors, when Chiro suddenly grabbed his head and cried out in pain. At the same time, Antauri's eyes snapped open. The monkeys were at Chiro's side in a second before Antauri placed a hand on the boys head, Chiro groaning as he curled up in a ball on the bed.
"What's happening to him?" Nova asked, terrified.
"A great evil has appeared," Antauri explained. "It is searching for Chiro, and I believe that it is hurting him."
"Hurting him? How?" snapped Sprx, waving his hands and ridding himself of the rest of the accursed string. "This has never happened before!"
"Chiro's never been sick before," said Gibson, placing a hand on the boy as he groaned in misery.
"It's... hurting them..." Chiro sobbed after a moment. Antauri frowned at this as Otto looked at the others in confusion.
"Who? What's he talking about?" he asked.
"I believe he's talking about Suggazoom," Antauri said slowly. "But, I'm not really sure." There was silence for a moment till a tall auburn haired doctor rushed in, took one look at the monkey team, then turned and shut the door. This gained even Chiro's attention, the boy uncurling slowly to stare at the man in confusion. The doctor immediately crossed the room, going straight for the window to their surprise, looking out it and then snapping the blinds shut and turning to Chiro.
"We have to get you out of here Chiro. It's not safe," he explained. Chiro stared at him.
"Wha-?"
"Skeleton King has sent someone for you Chiro."
"Skeleton King!"
"Don't worry, he's gone for now."
"Yeah, but he'll be back," Chiro ground out, sitting up. The doctor merely reached over and pushed to boy back down, much to the surprise of everyone in the room.
"None of that Chiro. You're still sick, and much too weak to do any kind of fighting. Last thing we want is for you to have a relapse," the doctor told him, his face serious. "You have to get well Chiro." With that he leaned forward and kissed the boy on the forehead, causing Chiro to freeze and the monkeys to squawk in shock. Hands on either side of the boys face the doctor looked at him. "You've done so much for us Chiro. It's our turn to help you. How could we go on if we betrayed you to that monster? What kind of people would we be if we did not protect our boy?" He released Chiro and leaned back, putting a hand into a pocket and pulling out a needle full of clear liquid. "Don't hate me for this Chiro, but you need to rest." Before anyone could stop him he had stuck the needle into the iv that had been placed in Chiro's hand and emptied the liquid into it. "You'll be asleep in a few minutes."
"What! Why?" Chiro asked, feeling betrayed as the Monkeys began jabbering on angrily. The doctor ignored them, placing a hand on Chiro's head.
"Because you can't get better like this Chiro. We know you too well, and we know that given the first chance you'll rush out into danger without a second thought. That's all well and good any other day, but you're sick and this is a dangerous time for you now. Yes your fever's down now, but if it shoots back up we might not be able to get it back down again. A high fever could kill you Chiro, we are not going to risk it." The doctor looked up at the monkeys, looking at them all before sighing.
"Okay look," he said. "We're going to move you underground, with the elders."
"The... elders?" Chiro asked, his eyes beginning to droop. The doctor nodded.
"Yes. The Skeleton King doesn't know about them, they usually keep to themselves. You'll be safe with them. All we need is for someone from your team to help us repair the tower." Chiro blinked at him.
"Tower?"
"Yes. The tower you all built to protect Suggazoom so long ago. We're preparing for the worst. We're not going to give you over to the Skeleton King. Not any of you." He said this, looking around at the monkeys and gaining a stern look from Sprx. The red monkey looked over at Antauri who nodded.
"He has a point Chiro," the silver monkey claimed, Chiro giving him a dirty look. "You must be protected. At all costs."
"But... Suggazoom..." Chiro had tears in his eyes, which caused Nova to take his hand and smile at him.
"We'll protect the city Chiro. I promise." The doctor watched them, unsure of what the monkey's were saying but keeping silent as it seemed to calm Chiro. The boy nodded slowly, knowing that either way he had no choice.
"Okay. But..." Chiro paused here, as if losing his train of thought, the doctor giving him a weak smile and placing a hand on top of the boys head.
"We'll do whatever we can Chiro. You'll be fine, you'll see," he said, only to gasp in surprise as something shocked him. Some kind of green light... Sprx gave the man a dirty look.
"He's not worried about himself you idiot. He's worried about you and everyone else in Suggazoom!" The doctor froze at this, Chiro giving him a weak smile before sighing and closing his eyes. Shaken the man turned to Sprx and asked;
"Wh-what did you say?" Sprx glared at him, confusion in his eyes.
"I said he's worried about you, ya moron," he ground out. To his surprise the man nodded slowly.
"Yeah. I thought that was what you said," he said weakly causing the monkey's to freeze.
"You... can understand us?" Antauri asked, surprised. The doctor nodded slowly, staring at his hand and then looking back at Chiro.
"I think... it's something he did," he said. Then he shook his head and stood. Antauri merely hm'd at this and nodded.
"Chiro is very strong in the Power Primate. Maybe he has found a way to make it easier for us all to communicate."
"Can Chiro really do that?" Nova asked as the doctor went to the door and opened it, looking both ways down the hall.
"Obviously he has Nova," Sprx said, crossing his arms and tensing up. "I'm just wondering if doc here's the only one."
"Unknown," Gibson answered. "We'll find out soon I'm sure." Sprx glared at him for this answer and opened his mouth to say something when Otto's unnaturally quiet voice cut him off.
"Th-this... this isn't hurting Chiro is it? I don't... I don't want Chiro to die." No one said anything to this, the doctor walking back over to the bed and pressing a button on the wall, then glancing at one of the machines before smiling at Otto.
"So far so good guys. Chiro's still got a fever but otherwise he's fine. No problems." He looked at his watch then and sighed. "I've got a team bringing a stretcher, we're gonna have to hurry though, we don't know how much time we've got. I don't know if anyone else can understand you but... we're prepared if they can't. I'll stay by Chiro," he explained. "Are any of you going to stay or do you all want to stay topside?" The monkey team looked at each other before Antauri nodded slowly.
"Gibson and Otto will be needed to help reconstruct the tower. We will check on Chiro when we can but... we'll all be needed here to help protect Suggazoom," he explained. "Chiro's concern for this city is probably what allowed him to grant you the ability to understand us. Even drugged, it will probably be easier for him to rest knowing we are helping to protect his home."
"Well, you might think that," Sprx said, crossing his arms as someone knocked on the door. "But I'm going to stay with Chiro. Just in case." The doctor nodded and went to open the door while Gibson glared at the red robot.
"What, you think we won't be able to protect this city?" he asked softly. Sprx rolled his eyes.
"Not so much that as you know Chiro's stubborn. He'll probably wake up sooner than they expect, and then he'll try to go topside. Like last time." Everyone paused at this, remembering the last time they'd tried to protect Chiro, only to have the boy turn around and lock them underground instead in order to protect them. Antauri nodded and placed a hand on Chiro's arm as two nurses rolled in a stretcher, the doctor giving them orders as to what the do as the rest of the team moved out of the way.
"Sprx is right. One of us should be there. We will be down two, but we'll still be able to use the Super Robot," the silver monkey said. One of the nurses gasped, causing the monkey team to look up as the two women stared at them, one of them very pale.
"You, they, the monkey..." the pale nurse slid to the floor in a dead faint causing everyone to stare before the doctor snickered, kneeling down to fan her face.
"Well... now we know I'm not the only one!" he exclaimed. Sprx grinned almost evilly.
"Oh good. Now we can tell everyone that we don't like banana's," he said.
"Or taffy. That stuff's really sticky," Otto commented. Nova merely rolled her eyes and smacked the two upside the head, gaining twin cries of surprise and pain. Gibson shook his head and Antauri snickered, the other nurse shaking her head.
"It's only going to get weirder. I know it," she said, turning to get Chiro moved.
Chapter 5
The underground area Chiro was being moved to went further than Sprx had imagined it would. When they had first gone down in the gray van it had seemed as if they were just entering a cave. Rock formations surrounded them, the road dipping rather dangerously as they went, causing the red monkey to wonder if this were really a good idea in the first place. They had driven for nearly an hour before stopping at a dead end, the driver getting out as Sprx leaned over to check on Chiro. The doctor from before was seated next to the boy, looking around anxiously. Sprx frowned.
"What's the hold up?" he asked. The young man smiled weakly at him.
"This is a sacred place Sprx. If the Skeleton King were to ever learn of it..."
"What makes you think he hasn't?"
"We know he hasn't. Otherwise he would be more interested in getting down here than just messing around top side." Sprx rolled his eyes before looking at the doctors name tag.
"Listen, Ronald, I don't think attacking the city is just messing around," he said, turning to look at the driver who was standing before the rock wall in front of them, one hand on his chin as if he were thinking. "And why are we just sitting here?" Ronald looked down at his name tag and rolled his eyes before letting out a sigh.
"Please don't call me Ronald. Call me Ron. And we're waiting for someone to open the gates." At this Sprx looked surprised.
"Gates? What gates?" As if to answer the monkeys question there was a rumbling sound as the rock wall split and the driver rushed to the van.
"Hang on everybody, we're heading in," he called back to them, Sprx staring as the wall parted to reveal a metal hollow, leading only further down.
Now, as they drove silently and without bumps he could only frown. The rock 'gate' had closed behind them, leaving them in a metal place with only red lights to guide them. The further they went the more tense he became till they came into a large metal dome, several passages emptying out from it. One was blocked however, the metal walls around it seeming to have melted in upon themselves. High above them, long black windows sat perched around them, showing nothing but a reflection of the dome they were driving through. The driver was careful here, avoiding several metal mounds spaced out in this room, and Sprx had a firm belief that if he could look at the room he'd see a mechanism that would allow the ceiling to roll back and show the blue skies of Suggazoom. Much to his discomfort he knew exactly where they were, and he didn't like it one bit.
They came to a large metal door where the driver pulled up alongside and stopped, jumping out as Ron and his coworkers began readying Chiro to move. The boy hadn't even so much as twitched through the ride, the white oxygen mask on his face and the tubing and cords for the iv reminding Sprx of some of the machinery in Gibson's lab. When the back doors to the van were flung open Sprx pulled himself up onto the stretcher, finding it easier to ride with Chiro than try to catch up to six humans running at a steady but panicked pace. This was the pace they took now, rushing through the red lit metal halls, that were now too small for a van, and onto a large metal elevator. The driver stayed with them, his eyes darting around as he too rushed along side the stretcher. Once on the elevator however, he stared at the ceiling with a serious look on his face while the hospital staff that made up Ron's group took a deep breath and watched the doors slide shut. A moment later Sprx had to grab a hold of Chiro's waist as the elevator lurched suddenly before starting down. Ron smiled weakly at the red monkey while the driver took a relieved breath and shook his head.
"Sorry. This thing's pretty old, but still in good shape I assure you," the man said, before saluting Sprx. "By the way. I'm Captain James Marshall. Secret police." Sprx stared at him. Captain James Marshall was nearly the mirror image of Ron, both men standing nearly five foot eleven inches and both having wild auburn hair. The only difference in them was that while Ron had blue eyes, James had green, though at the moment you couldn't tell as both were smiling rather cheekily at Sprx.
"We're twins," Ron explained, and Sprx shook his head, trying to focus. He frowned at James.
"Secret police huh? I thought that group was disbanded decades ago," he ground out, causing the two to grow serious. "What with Suggazoom in peace an all."
"Not many people know that we still exist," James explained crossing his arms over his chest. "Officially, as far as the public is concerned, we were disbanded after the last great war, before Skeleton King appeared. However, the elders felt that it would be better if there were at least some kind of defense."
"Yeah," said Sprx. "That's what we're here for," he told them, motioning to himself and Chiro. Ron shook his head.
"That's not what we meant Sprx. The elders needed someone to protect this sacred place," he explained. Sprx flat out growled at him.
"Sacred place! You call an underground bunker and a hidden missel silo a sacred place? Why? Are you people crazy?" he snapped. A metal 'tonk' caused him to freeze and he turned to see that the elevator doors had opened and a man in long grey robes with a beard to his knees, bald head, and white eyes was staring right at him as he leaned on a tall golden staff.
"I can assure we are not Sprx-77," he said, his voice rough with age. "We call this a sacred place not in reverence, but in fear of what could happen if this horrid technology were ever to be used again." He turned after saying this, Sprx staring in surprise as the elder man lifted a wrinkled hand in the air. "This way, we've prepared a room for the boy," he said, walking away slowly. For a moment no one moved, then Ron cleared his throat, nodding to the people with him.
"Do as he says. He's an elder," he told them quietly. With that said, they moved forward, Sprx sitting beside Chiro in near shock.
"The guys are never gonna believe this," he muttered to himself. James merely smirked.
Chapter 6
Otto sighed as he closed the metal paneling before him, his hands aching. Above him Gibson was telling two human engineers how to properly install the complex machinery and it's coding while beneath him Nova and four other men were busy carting up supplies.
"The first time was a lot easier," the green monkey mumbled, wondering why he hadn't decided to go with Chiro instead of Sprx.
"You are troubled my friend." Antauri's cool voice made him jump and turn to see the silver monkey floating along side him. Otto stared for a moment before sighing and rubbing his hands.
"I'm worried about Chiro and..." he paused, embarrassed to continue.
"You wish you were with him," Antauri said calmly. Otto shrugged, refusing to look at his teammate.
"Well, yeah. I mean," he looked up, his eyes troubled. "We need Sprx! I'm just the goof up remember?" He turned at this, rubbing his hands hoping to relieve himself of the pain. Antauri watched this silently before shaking his head.
"We need you as well Otto. Without you we could not get this tower to function properly," he explained. "Your expertise in this area is highly valued, and..." he put a hand on Otto's shoulder, turning the green monkey so they were facing each other. "You should get Gibson to take a look at your hands. I believe your shorting them out earlier this week is what may be causing you pain now." Otto blushed, nodding as he remembered the event.
"I didn't mean to short 'em out," he mumbled, embarrassed. Antauri smiled at him knowingly.
"Accidents happen Otto. Shall I call Gibson for you?"
"Yeah, have him meet me below. I gotta talk to that human crew chief guy about the force field radius and the missel launchers capabilities," the green monkey explained. Antauri nodded.
"Affirmative," he said, smiling at his friend before flying to Gibson, where the blue monkey was now talking to one of the humans cheerfully. The ability to be understood by the humans was a great improvement for the team, as if a weight had been lifted from their shoulders. Now instead of practically standing on their heads with their tails tied in knots to get people to even realize that they had something important to say, the humans were able to immediately identify with what the monkey team was saying and help. This was definitely a great improvement, one which Gibson seemed to enjoy the most. The human engineers always had some idea to point out, or some flaw to recognize and improve, much to the gratefulness of the monkey team. Though while Gibson was very happy with this, Otto wasn't quite sure what to think. After he'd finished talking with the human in charge of all the humans helping them, Otto found himself sitting and resting for a moment as Antauri spoke with Gibson. The green monkey watched the crews work and felt dread as he saw women grab their children and rush underground with the crowds of people who were not going to be able to fight. While he was concerned about them, his feeling wasn't centered on their safety but his status as a member of the monkey team. Surely they would be able to find someone to replace him, seeing as how there were so many mechanics out there, and since they could now speak with the other humans... well it was only a matter of time obviously. He messed up so much and Chiro could hardly be blamed for wanting another human on the team, right?
'You're assuming that any of us would even want to replace you,' Chiro's voice echoed in his thoughts. Otto frowned.
'Well why wouldn't you? I mean look at my hands! I've even managed to screw them up,' he thought unhappily. There was a tinkling in his mind, like laughter, and he paused, shocked. 'Chiro?'
'Otto! You're really good at what you do! You're important to this team, no one could replace you! Besides, I... I like it when you mess up.' Chiro's voice was soft, shy even. 'You're always so easy going about it, like it doesn't even bother you. No one can think as fast as you can, not even Gibson! You're fun Otto!' Otto could only blink in surprise.
'You...' he paused, closing his eyes and smiling. 'Thanks Chiro.'
'No problem buddy. You're my friend, my brother. How could I ever think of replacing you Otto? Now let's get those hands of yours fixed. I have a feeling you're going to need your saws very soon.' Otto covered his face with his hands, trying to stop tears that had been threatening to fall since he'd talked to Antauri.
'Thanks Chiro,' he whispered in his mind. In his minds eye he could see Chiro smiling at him happily, giving him the thumbs up before disappearing. Not even a second later he felt a hand land on his shoulder and he looked up to see three worried faces staring down at him. Nova, Antauri, and Gibson were standing around him, concerned for him. He nearly laughed at himself. As if they would be any other way for a team mate.
"Otto, are you okay?" Nova asked. It was her hand on his shoulder and he grinned at her, showing them his hands.
"Hands hurt," was all he could bring himself to say. Gibson smiled and shook his head.
"I can fix that easily," he said, changing his left hand into the proper tool as Antauri watched, a calm smile on his face as he crossed his arms over his chest. Otto couldn't help but smile back.
It took a while, but Gibson managed to get Otto's hands back in working order. The green monkey was very relieved to find the pain gone and was quick to get back to work. As if taken over by a new energy he had flown his way to the top to the tower and began inspect everything before finally giving a shout and rushing to Gibson and babbling away at new ideas that would allow them to use less power to get their defensive measure working more efficiently. At first the blue monkey had been surprised at Otto's exuberance, as the little mechanic had been rather quiet and mopey during most of the reconstruction, but the surprise was pushed aside for relief to make way. This was the Otto Gibson knew so well and trusted. Preparing himself for the ever present goof up that would occur whenever Otto had a brainstorm, Gibson dived in. Gathering the human mechanics and engineers they began working on a back up tower, one that sat right on the street and only came up two feet in the air. While others could only wonder at this, and blink in curiosity when Otto told them that they would not be standing anywhere on ground level during the battle, Antauri couldn't help but shake his head and smile.
'Chiro. With your help, we are doing well,' he thought, watching as the sun began to set in the west. The wind picked up suddenly where he stood and a warm feeling of something touching him flitted across his shoulders. Antauri nodded. Even drugged into sleep, the power primate allowed Chiro to be with them in their time of need. They would watch over Chiro, and Chiro would watch over them.
"Such is your way. Isn't it Chiro?" Antauri whispered. The wind moved on and the darkness settled in. The silver monkey turned his head to the first appearing stars, a frown settling on his face. They hadn't much time.
"We're going to be able to pilot the Super Robot without Chiro and Sprx, right?" Nova asked nervously, her tail flickering back and forth in an agitated rhythm. Gibson nodded absentmindedly as he and Otto pulled several parts out of the Super Robots mainframe.
"I have two drones that are programed to fight in their place. Hopefully we won't have any use for them," he told her.
"But knowing the Skeleton King, we will have to be ready for anything," Antauri told them, wiping sweat from his brow. "I am sorry," he told them suddenly, gaining all three monkey's attention. "I am not used to doing so much work in one day. I must rest." Otto nodded at him.
"I'm guessing the fact that you haven't slept well since Chiro's been in the hospital isn't doing you much good either," he pointed out, gaining a sigh from Gibson.
"I don't think anyone has slept well since this started Otto," he admitted, placing a chip board back in its place. Nova nodded, before smiling at the silver monkey.
"Go rest. We'll take care of everything and wake you if anything happens," she told him. Antauri nodded, going to his tube and disappearing as it shot him up to his sleeping quarters. Gibson sighed again, rubbing his forehead.
"I hate to admit it, but I'm tired as well. Can you finish up here Otto?" he asked, gaining a cheeky grin from the little green monkey and a nod.
"Oh sure. I do this stuff in my sleep!" he claimed, turning back to the mainframe and humming as he worked. Gibson nodded, then shrugged at Nova who smiled weakly at him before he too was gone. There was silence for a moment, save for Otto's humming, as Nova watched the little mechanic work before she sighed, gaining his attention.
"Otto," she paused here, staring at the floor as the green monkey blinked at her curiously. She rubbed her metal arms and looked towards the tubes, anywhere but at him. "Do you think... Chiro's okay?" Otto looked at her for a moment before snickering and turning back to his work, gaining a surprised look from the yellow female.
"Oh Chiro's fine. But I bet he's not the one you're really worried about," he claimed, gaining an indignant squawk from Nova.
"What are you talking about? Of course I'm worried about Chiro!" she exclaimed. Otto 'hummed' at her, causing her to pause.
"I'm not saying that you aren't, I'm just saying that I know what you're thinking and Sprx is gonna be fine." At this Nova gave a rather angry 'hmph' and turned away, her nose in the air and her arms crossed over her chest.
"Yeah right, whatever! I'm not worried about him!"
"Nova..." Otto's voice was rarely serious, and when it was everyone paid the little green monkey attention. It was no different now as Nova turned, curious, to see that Otto was turned to face her, one arm bracing him up against the floor. "You can't fool everybody Nova. I know you and Sprx like each other, and there is nothing wrong with worrying about the guy." Here he turned around and began the rest of, whatever it was he was doing. Nova wasn't exactly sure. "Sprx is fine, and I promise I won't tell him that you were worried, okay?" She smiled at this, walking over and leaning down to kiss the little green monkey on the cheek.
"Thanks Otto," she said softly, walking away. Otto could only duck his head, trying to hide his blush.
"S-sure." Nova's giggle as she went up the tube to her quarters was the last thing he heard from her that night.
Chapter 7
Ron watched as Sprx-77 stretched himself out beside Chiro, one metallic arm strewn across the young boy as the monkey slept uneasily. Every time someone so much as took a deep breath the little robot would shoot up and stare about the room blearily before settling back down next to his charge. The young doctor shook his head, and continued taking Chiro's vitals. He wasn't sure if Sprx-77's unrest was due to what was happening top side, or from the information the Elders had given him.
It seemed that a hundred years before the monkey team came to Suggazoom, war had, had a prominent role in the lives of everyone in this galaxy. So much so that near the end of the war it became very apparent to certain leaders that if nothing was done and soon, Suggazoom would either cease to exist or would become a war monger of planets, searching out the universe not in search of peace, but in search of conquest. This, they had decided, had to be stopped. Already, many civilizations on their planet had been destroyed because of the greed brought by power, and while there would be no replacing them there was a possibility of preserving what was left. They ended the war by annihilating the main supporters and leaders that had caused all this pain, and burying all evidence of any kind of military outposts and bases, literally, under miles and miles of earth, rock, and concrete. With what was left of their pull they took apart the weapons of war and single handedly rebuilt Suggazoom, making it a peaceful place for all to live and thrive. All underground secret services were immediately disbanded, save for the secret police who were hidden among the crowds to help push peace and halt any instigators of war by bringing them before the council, who silenced them by either banning them from returning to Sugazoom, or doing away with them forever. Without weapons, and without any kind of seen government strongholds, Suggazoom not only became the peaceful world it was today, but also the most open to attack. That was when the monkey team came, fortunately.
While the elders were perfectly happy to live in their subterranean stronghold, guiding their people towards peace; their most sacred place was also their most painful curse. For you see, during the war, five men and two women had survived an experiment which made them both stronger than any normal human, and immortal as well. They were doomed to live without an end in sight in their personalized prison, away from the home they treasured and loved so dearly. Unable go topside as it was punishment for all the wrong they had caused so long ago. So, they commissioned a great alchemist to create a way to help protect their home, and also to investigate a darkness that loomed in their future. Sadly, after creating the monkey team the alchemist vanished, never to be seen nor heard from again. It was shortly after that the Skeleton King appeared and the galaxy was thrown into darkness. Still, the elders never really could understand why the man had created a monkey team. Though it had obviously worked out better than they had expected. The people were safe, the elders really had nothing more to do than watch as the people of Suggazoom lived and prospered, and the evil was fought and beaten time and time again.
To Be Continued... (Someday)