"Dad, take them away." Astro ordered coldly, after seeing their shocked faces when he had first addressed Dad. "Seriously. Or I'll blast them right now!"
Stone coughed, looking at tad… embarrassed? "Yessshh, of course Astro." he turned to the other guard that had brought them in his office, "Take them back. I doubt they'll run away."
Astro scowled at the girl in the glittery dress. She was fanning herself and acting like this was some-sort of horror movie. "It's real life!" he shouted after her in contempt.
He heard the girl they called Cora's voice rocket down the corridor, "YOUR POINT?" she screamed, then yelped as the guard kicked her.
"Heh." Astro allowed a tiny smile. Those were strange girls. He couldn't wait to kill them. It was almost like a hobby.
"What did you think of Cora?" Stone asked slowly, jestingly.
Astro's mind flashed back to a grey room. Stone and him were sitting across from each other on a table. Stone had been reminding him of all sorts of family life and facts. "Now, you've been in an accident, you've lost you're memory, Astro. I've re-created you. We must go over your life, bit by bit, so that you will remember." Astro squeezed his eyes shut and scrolled through his memory, searching for a Cora.
"She's a brat. She stalked me everywhere before I got in my accident. She deserves to die." Astro rattled off. "I hate her."
"Good, good." Stone smiled. "What about Zella?"
"Cora's sister. I hate her, too?" Astro said questioningly. All this hating… he pushed away an uncomfortable feeling that he hadn't always hated like that. But it was impossible. He had lived his whole life like now!
"You sure do." Stone began walking towards the door, "Tell you what," he turned around, "How about you go into that cell and kill them there. Creatively. Painfully. Will you? They've been on my nerves forever. Especially Cora. Oh, I suppose Zella, too. The arena is to honorable a place for them to die." with that, he closed the door.
"Sure…" Astro whispered. Knowing Stone wasn't waiting for an answer. It wasn't a choice. "Right now? Yep." He answered his own question.
The only robot in the corner, fondly named (or not so fondly) TinCan, scooted over to Astro, "Well Master, shall I show you the way?"
"Of course." Astro scoffed.
"Very well." the robot led the way out of the room and down some grey corridors. Everything was drab. They turned down a long, dark passageway and entered the last cell on the left. There, in the gloom, was two girls.
"I can take it from here." Astro told the robot. He smiled wickedly at the girls.
"W-what are you going to do?" Zella shuddered, "I don't wanna be dislocated!"
"I assure you, ma'am, you won't be. It will be much, much more painful." Astro strode into the room.
"You're evil. This is unexpected. It's just… wrong in everyway." Cora said, stalking up to Astro. "You don't even know who you are."
The words stung Astro. Which made him angry. He slapped Cora. Hard. She fell to the floor. "I'VE BEEN ABUSED THESE PAST DAYS! BUT NEVER BY YOU!" she screamed, getting up and slapping him back.
"Grovel on the floor, fool!" Astro roared.
"STOP IT!" Zella screamed (but daintily) she picked her way over Cora and stared Astro in the eyes. It unnerved him. "Now, now, sit down and let's talk."
"I don't wanna talk." which sounded a lot like a toddler.
"You'll have to. Cora was just overreacting." Zella shot Cora a meaningful look.
"What would we talk about?" Astro asked wearily, he turned his arms into duel cannons. "Don't bother overpowering me, by the way."
"Wouldn't dream of it." Zella purred, helping Cora up. Who had a nasty red mark across her face.
"I am going to annilate you anyway. So talk fast." Astro made the look of boredom.
"You may not remember us, Astro," Cora said softly. "And I'm sorry for overreacting. Zella's right. You're slap just surprised me. I wasn't expecting you to be that… cruel."
"Meaning…?" Astro growled.
"Can you let us live another day?" Cora asked.
"Can I kiss you one last time?" Zella pleaded. "PLEASE?"
"Ew… no." Astro's face screwed up. "You deserve to die for that."
"Do not!" Zella pouted, and fell back into the gloomy recesses of the cell.
"Listen robot boy," Cora said, sticking a finger in his face and wagging it around, "You can kill us. But how's that gonna help you get anywhere? You don't even know who I am. I'm Cora - the girl who you met on the surface. You patched up a robot named Zog using blue core energy. Then Hamegg forced you to fight in an arena in the "robot games." You defeated a peacekeeper. Astro, you were AGAINST red core."
It all sounded frighteningly familiar. Astro didn't give away anything, though. "What do you think could jog my memory? I have lived my whole life in service of my dad. As to how this will help me get along with my life, it doesn't concern you."
Cora bit her lip. "I know what could jog your memory."
"What?" Astro sneered.
He saw Cora taking a deep breath. She closed her eyes and took a step closer to him. He didn't back away. No mortal dared get close to him without getting blasted. Then she did something that surprised him. She kissed him.
He felt her lips pulsing and her blood running. He felt her body pressed against his. Astro wasn't sure what to do, he opened his mouth to protest and shout something offensive, but Cora took that as an opportunity to slide her tongue into his mouth and play around with his own cold one. Astro's eyes closed. Something was really, really similar about this. He felt affection towards her. But how? She was his stalker.
Zella's scream snapped him back into reality. He felt Cora being pulled away from him. A purse grazed his nose as it came beating down on Cora's head. "YOU RAPIST!" Zella was shouting.
"Stop it!" with an expert move Cora rolled out of the way and held Cora's shoulders so she couldn't move her arms. "Can't you see this may help him?"
"I could've done that!" Zella snapped, sniffing.
Astro realized he was standing there with his mouth open. "I- I- I will have to- ah, give this a day's thought." he stuttered.
"Astro?" Cora took a step forward, but Astro shot a warning shot right past her.
"I don't want you near me. You confuse me." He said truthfully. His duel cannons turned back into hands and he waved his arms at them both. "You both seem strikingly familiar! As my father has taught me, and his father before him-"
"Oh spare us the Chinese prophecies stuff." Zella droned, twirling a finger between her golden hair. She yelped as a cannon shot singed her hair. "Or not." she sheepishly nodded.
"- You cannot harm someone who may be valuable to you. Zella may not be valuable to me. But Cora is." Astro finished.
"Well you take your time." Cora muttered. She looked up at him, "What would I be valuable for?"
"You make me feel good." Astro let out another wicked and devilish grin.
"Oh! Yuck!" Zella shuddered.
"I'm afraid." Cora took a step backwards. "Very, very unnerved."