Cora was dreaming. In her dream, it was pitch black. The only thing she saw was a chainsaw, hanging threateningly in mid-air. Hamegg's voice sounded:
"Take this, your time is coming." he commanded.
"Mocking killing again?" the dream-Cora said.
"Yeah, but not in the arena. It's real life this time, toots." Hamegg chuckled, "Put all those skills to use."
Cora grabbed the chainsaw and looked up in the gloom to where she thought Hamegg might be, "So where's this robot you want me to kill?"
Hamegg began to laugh wildly, "Can't you see it Cora? Didn't I raise you the right way? They are just junk, some disguised better than others."
"That's not what I asked." dream-Cora said icily.
"Ah, but your voice faltered at 'kill.'"
"It always does." Cora scoffed, "I don't' like using that word. Not that I don't mind doing it."
"Well, this robot, you must kill him. He's dangerous. And he's standing right next to you…" Hamegg's voice faded and echoed. Cora turned to look at this robot, and in doing so, she was pulled out of her dream.
She gasped as her eyelids fluttered open. Astro's face was inches away from hers, and he was wide awake. "Are you okay? You were murmuring stuff." he stated.
Cora sat up, morning light filtering through the cracks in the miserable hole. "Yeah, whatever you heard…?"
"Just 'robot'." Astro replied casually, sitting up next to her, "I got us some food. A banana and a crushed water bottle. It was outside, just waiting for us." Astro's perfect brow furrowed.
"Right, well, let's go." Cora crawled out of the hole and blinked back the sunshine. It was going to be a hot one. She saw the banana and water bottle and chomped down. Her mouth feeling dry.
"You already ate, I guess?" Cora mumbled between a large bite of banana.
"Yes." Astro's answer was fast and uneasy.
As Cora finished eating, Astro sat next to her… hesitatingly. Then he began watching her chew with such passion that Cora stopped and stared.
"Whmaf are youm doinfh?" Cora asked, raising one delicate eyebrow.
"Just watching you chew." Astro said, "Ever since the accident I don't chew very well."
"Ah, the stupid accident excuses." Cora laughed, but Astro just looked depressed.
The moment was made awkward as Cora and Astro didn't bother to break their stares at each other. Someone else, though, broke their reverie.
"Well, well, well, so there's two of ya eh?" the voice was strangled and hoarse. Cora yelped in surprise to see a large, fat, grubby man staring down at her and Astro. He had a too-small fisherman's coat on, hat included, and his breath…no, his whole BEING, looked and smelled as if he had gone out looking for whiskey… and found it.
"Er…yes, there are two of us." Astro replied to his question, sidling closer to Cora. Cora sent him an aggravated glance.
"So you two saw my wee little home and decided to stay for the nigh' eh?" the fisherman stumbled closer.
"Yes sir." Cora replied, tersely.
"And ye come in on me hospitality and decide to eat me lunch?"
Cora wasn't really paying attention. She was wondering how a man that size could fit inside a hole.
"I guess…" Astro's voice broke her out of her thoughts.
"Stand up you two!" the fisherman boomed, "Don't you have payment of some sort? Gawsh darnit you two are in there having your fun and I don't get a piece o' the pie?" the fisherman stomped his foot.
Cora stood up. Astro did too. "We're dreadfully sorry…" Cora backed up, Astro followed suite.
The fisherman hobbled over closer to Astro, "So how hard were ya bangin' her last night matey?" and he winked.
Cora blushed a scarlet. Astro had a 'WTF' look on his face. He took a step back from his face. "I-I- I, I wasn't banging her." he whispered.
"OH YE WEREN'T?" the fisherman roared with laughter, and hobbled over to Cora, taking her chin between his forefingers. "SHE'S A FINE ONE!" he called over to Astro.
Cora struggled to get out of his iron grip, but nothing worked. Astro? Astro? A little help, Astro? she tried her best to convey the message.
"Mmmm…." the fisherman's eyes were far off, "I wouldn't mind this one staying over night, as payment."
"And if I don't?" Cora hissed, finally finding her mark and biting him.
He howled and jumped about. Astro snickered.
His face was flushed dark red, "THEN YE BOTH ARE KILLED THAT WHAT!" he roared, picking up a heavy piece of metal and swinging it at Cora. Cora dived out of the way. Screaming and pulling tufts of hair out, the fisherman threw his weapon off to his left and whispered a profanity. He took out a shot gun.
"RUN!" Cora screeched. She expertly shimmied up a large hill of garbage and down the other side. Astro was keeping pace, and yet, somehow, abnormally not even looking exerted.
She dodged to one side of a large mound and took a wild leap across a tiny chasm. That was her mistake. Her foot lodged in the crack and she went down with a cry of pain.
"Cora?" Astro looked worried.
"Uhhh…" Cora moaned. Her foot was twisted up in some sort of net. Quite possibly a Hamegg net designed for catching small, flighty robots.
"I'll get you out!" Astro cried as the sounds of a fat, enraged fisherman sounded. He tugged at her arm. A little too hard.
POP!
Cora shrieked in pain. "MY ARM!" she cried as it wobbled uselessly. "You've dislocated it! How could anyone like you dislocate an arm?"
"I- uh…" Astro averted her gaze. "Sorry. I have to go take care of that guy."
"Go ahead!" she groaned.
Cora propped herself up with her one good arm (all the while her body crying out in protest,) to watch what Astro would do. Even though her stomach was a knot of pain, and her foot might as well be broken, she just couldn't bring herself to look away from that boy. Huh…OW! Cora thought, squeezed the tears back into her eyes as a wave of pain hit her.
Astro was charging towards the fisherman fearlessly. The fisherman roared with laughter, "WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO?" he laughed.
The fisherman brought his gun out and aimed at Astro. The shot was fired, Cora screamed something, but Astro was no where to be seen.
Somehow, the boy was behind the fisherman, "That all you got?" Astro taunted.
"What in the…? Tarnations boy how you do that?" the fisherman gaped at Astro. Astro smiled.
"No matter!" the fisherman said, backing Astro up into a tiny little space, wielding his fists like deadly cannon balls. He pounded at Astro's face. This time, there was no escape. Except for up, of course, Cora observed wryly.
Up indeed.
Somehow, Astro was flying. Flying. Two jets flying from his glossy red boots. He laughed at the fisherman.
The fisherman was a brave man though, he grabbed a large chunk of something and attempted to swat Astro out of the air. It hit Astro with a deafening crunch. Cora squeezed her eyes shut. Expecting a broken, non-triumphant Astro on the ground.
Luckily for her, she heard the fisherman babble something incoherent. Looking up, Cora saw Astro giving the man a look that you would give the school bully if he threw a piece of grass at you and screamed, "wither and die!"
"Alright! That ain't fair no! Ol' Fish hasn't be'n beat yet by no flying boy." Fish whined. "Dagummit!"
"Doesn't have to be fair." Astro gloated.
Fish got a devious grin. He snickered, "No, indeed." Cora saw him turning around and facing her. He was a good distant away from her, but not too far for her not to hear. Fish began slowly coming closer, and closer, to her. His prey.
Cora stifled another scream. Astro's eyes widened. "No! Don't hurt her!"
Fish wasn't listening. He stalked closer…closer…closer. Just when Cora thought he could reach out and grab her, he turned hard left and stalked that way.
Stalker.
Astro flew over to Cora, landing next to her. "Whatshedoing?" he asked, super fast. Without waiting for an answer (Cora had none, she was looking up at him in wonder) he followed the fisherman.
Fish was out of sight by now, disappeared behind another timeless piece of large trash. Cora felt horridly alone, seeing Astro disappear.
It was silent for several moments. Then an engine roared to life, sounding a lot like an ATV. The fisherman's laughter came out from behind the trash, plus Astro's surprised cry.
"Didn't expect 'dis piece o' metal eh boy?"
And then it came. It was a large ATV. A crazy, deranged, slightly hung-over man was driving it. Not a very good combination.
"HAW HAW!" Fish roared from behind the wheel, acting like a toddler. After going straight a ways, he reared around so that he was driving towards Cora. Cora yelped and heroically struggled (okay, okay, not so heroically) with the fish net. Her limp arm shrieking in protest.
"Cora!" Astro gasped, horrified at the fisherman's murderous intent. The ATV was drawing nearer and nearer, Cora wrinkled her nose at the smell of gasoline…
She braced herself for impact.
It never came.
Whilst Cora opened her eyes, her mouthed opened, her pain was forgotten, she stuttered some words; and then was silent.
Astro was holding the ATV off. Somehow, she wasn't sure how, but he was doing it. Not a bit of tension showing. It was like holding off you're six month old baby sister when she demands some of what you've got. He impishly grinned at Cora.
Fish had had enough. He jumped out of the ATV, and, like a scared child ran away screaming stupid swears and a lot of 'this isn't the end of it!'
Gently Astro laid the dormant top side ATV down and turned it off. Then he strode over to Cora. "How… how…" Cora mumbled.
"Sshh." Astro ordered, and expertly undid the netting. The thing Cora wasn't prepared for was the painful POP! as Astro slid Cora's arm back in. She promised to slap him for that.
"I don't think I can get up. My leg is… broken, maybe." Cora said tensely.
Astro smiled, "Not for long," he promised. Then he put one of his hands on her bad leg, surprisingly cold after all the hubbub, and closed his eyes. Light, blue things were coming from his hand, entering Cora and filling her to the brim with happiness. She could feel the dull, throbbing pain of her arm go away, and then, finally, her leg felt useful.
The happiness stopped as soon as Astro pulled his hand away. He looked satisfied. "You can walk now." he announced confidently.
And so she could! Cora wobbled up. She slapped Astro. His face was a mask of hurt. "Why did you do that?"
"Because you didn't warn me about the arm!"
"Oh, gee, no 'Thanks Astro you saved my life, you saved OUR life, you're amazing, Astro.'" Astro rolled his eyes and touched his cheek lightly, where Cora had slapped him.
"I was getting to that!" Cora snapped, "By the way…" her voice trailed off, "that was amazing! How did you do it? You can fly? Is this another outcome of the accident?" Cora had to restrain herself from gushing.
Astro looked pleased, "I… well, yeah, my dad gave me jet power boots and he added a thin sheet of metal between my skin and organs to make me strong… er… it's a long story. But yes, I can fly and all that. With my boots, that is." he added hastily.
Cora hugged Astro, smiling. "You're strong, fast, and you can fly. That is SO cool. You're a wonder kid!"
"You could call me that." Astro smiled back at Cora. And yet… he looked uneasy.
"Shall we go on?" Cora gestured towards the wastelands, "We have a lot of ground to cover. I'm thinking we can find Chicago by going north."
"Why are we going there again?" Astro asked, trotting to keeping up with the already-walking Cora.
Cora felt a twinge of annoyance, "Well, because, I can probably locate Hamegg then, and you can do whatever. It will be best to get out of the junkyards. It's a dangerous place." she cast a meaningful glance at the ATV's general direction.
"Heh, yeah." Astro agreed. "Sure is."
Cora and Astro walked in silence for a long time. The sad, sardonic thing was, that all Cora could think of was that if they found Chicago, she would be parted from this incredibly fascinating boy. All Astro could think of was: I'm lying, I'm lying, I'm lying…