In the not too distant future...

Aboard the 'Satellite of Love' Joel Robinson and his four robot friends; Crow T. Robot, Tom Servo, Gypsy and Cambot, had just finished watching yet another stink-burger of a movie sent up to them by Dr. Clayton Forrester from the festering bowels of 'Deep 13'.

After enduring their latest cinematic sin the unorthodox family proceeded to go about their usual business. At least what was 'usual' for this rather unusual crew/family.

"Hey Servo!" Crow yelled at Tom, who was on the opposite side of the bridge quietly reading a Batman graphic novel to himself.

"What?" Tom yelled back just as loudly as Crow, without looking away from his beloved comic.

"Where's Joel? I can't find him anywhere, and I want a snack."

"Well, if he's not on the bridge then he's probably in the theater." He answered with great disinterest.

"Nope. Just checked."

"What about his cabin?"

"What about it?"

"Is Joel IN his cabin?"

"Oh, I dunno. Hey Cambot!" Crow turned to look at the silent observing robot who continuously filmed the group. "Is Joel in his cabin?"

Cambot, unable to offer an audible reply, nodded his entire camera body in the affirmative.

"Thanks!"

"Hey wait!" Tom finally closed his comic and looked over at Crow. "It's not even eight o'clock."

"So?" Crow answered dryly, showing the same disinterest as Tom.

"So..." Tom responded just as dryly. "Joel always stays up until after we go to bed. We're still up, so why isn't he?"

"I dunno."

"You're hopeless, Crow." Tom sighed unamused. "Something might be wrong with Joel, you moron!"

"Yeah, well, bite me Servo!"

Tom hovered over to Crow to 'walk' side by side with his companion as they journeyed down the lengthy corridor toward Joel's cabin. "Jump in my butt!"

"You don't have a butt!" Crow snipped quickly.

"Dink!"

"Dickweed!"

The robot duo stopped insulting each other once they reached the closed door that leads into Joel's private cabin. Crow knocked on the door with his long arm and golden claw. "Joel? Ya' in there?"

There was no reply from inside the room.

"Maybe he's not here after all." Tom suggested.

"Maybe he escaped..."

"Maybe he's hiding."

"Maybe he died!"

"Crow!" Tom sounded horrified by Crow's grim suggestion.

"What?"

"Don't say that! If Joel died then I'd be stuck with just you and Gypsy! How awful... For me."

"And Cambot." Crow replied unphased as he knocked on the door again. "Joel? Are ya' dead?"

"Crow!"

"What?"

"What do you mean 'what'?"

Joel opened the door to his cabin and looked down at his two robot companions waiting on the other side. He had unzipped his red jumpsuit from his chest to the black belt, exposing the white t-shirt beneath. The loose sleeves of his jumpsuit were tied around his waist like a second belt.

"What are you guys doing?" Joel spoke with a mild congestion as he ran his hand through his brown hair and sighed with heavy fatigue as he looked down at his childlike robot friends.

"Oh, there you are!" Crow looked up at Joel with mild surprise. "Hey, wait a minute. Joel, did you get... whiter?"

"Whiter?" Joel pondered the odd question given to him.

Tom looked up at Joel's pale complexion and noticed that something about Joel seemed a little off. "Were you working out or something? You're looking a little sweaty there pal."

"No, no." Joel coughed a little to clear his throat as he tried to ease his robots' concern. "Just feeling a little warm, that's all. Can I help you guys with something or did you forget how to play 'Ding-Dong Ditch'?"

"I want a snack!" Crow whined loudly like a temperamental child.

"No Crow." Joel leaned against the doorframe of his cabin door and partially closed his blue eyes. "It's too close to your bedtime, you won't be able to sleep."

"Pleeeeeeaaaaaaase?" Crow begged pathetically, as he hated the idea of being refused.

"Fine." Joel reluctantly caved in, but not entirely. "You can have something withOUT sugar."

"Pfft!" Crow scoffed at the very offer. "Forget it! What's the point of eating anything unless it's something with a criminal amount of processed sugar, loaded with preservatives or heavily caffeinated?"

"Okay, then you can go to bed without anything." Joel insisted using his 'dad voice' as leverage.

"No..." Crow submitted, know that Joel wouldn't give in. "I'd like an apple, please."

"Okay. Go ask Gypsy, she knows where they are." Joel then looked toward Tom. "Servo, do you need anything?"

"No. I'm good. Just making sure you weren't dead."

"Well, thanks. But as you can see I'm not."

"Right. Goodnight Joel!"

"Goodnight Servo. Goodnight Crow."

As Joel returned to his cabin to lay down, the two robots returned to the bridge of the satellite. While Tom resumed reading his comic Crow called out for Gypsy. "Hey Gypsy! Joel said you have to give us some cookies!"

"And some Yoohoo!" Tom quickly added.

"Yeah, and some Yoohoo, too!"

While they waited for Gypsy, Tom couldn't help but think about Joel. "Hey Crow, did Joel seem a little... I don't know... un-normal to you?"

"What is 'normal' anyway, Servo?" Crow looked around impatiently for Gypsy. "Gypsy! Come on! We're starving!"

"That's deep man. Deep. But seriously, Joel was acting like there was something wrong. Maybe it's his programming."

"Yeah, well, that's bound to happen when you're trapped in space all day and all night, with only the stinkiest of the poopiest movies to watch every week."

"Think he's okay?"

"Yeah, sure!"

Gypsy appeared on the bridge with a silver platter in her mouth. On the platter were two apples and two juice boxes. "Here you go." She dropped the platter on the desk in front of Crow and Tom.

"Hey! This isn't..."

"I know. Joel said to never believe a word either of you guys say just before bedtime."

"Aww..." Crow whimpered as realized that Joel was always one step ahead.

"Now," Gypsy continued. "eat and then go to bed."

"Or else what? Huh?" Crow never enjoyed being told what to do and loved confronting authority.

"You'll find out soon enough mister!" Gypsy rarely yelled, but when she did the bots knew better than to keep challenging her.

"Okay, I'll be good." Crow crouched down submissively as he took his apple and bit into it.

"Good." Gypsy left the bridge leaving Crow and Tom to their snack.

"Jeez, what a grouch." Crow mumbled toward Tom.

Through the door Gypsy yelled back at Crow. "I heard that!"

The next morning the robots walked onto the bridge only to find it uncharacteristically vacant, with no sign of Joel anywhere. Joel was always the first one awake and on the bridge, but that morning he was nowhere to be found. Again.

"Now where's Joel?" Crow and Tom were on the bridge, alone, and unhappy.

"Yeah." Tom agreed with Crow's impatient tone of voice. "Cambot, is Joel still asleep?"

Once again the little robot nodded in the affirmative.

"Hmm..."

"What?" Crow didn't like the way Tom was thinking. "'Hmm' what?"

"First Joel went to bed unusually early and now Joel is getting up unusually late. There must be something wrong, or 'unusual', with his programming! I knew it!"

"So... what are we supposed to do?"

"What else? Repair him!"

"Of course! It's all so simple!"

"Yes you are." Tom quipped perfectly. "Shall we?" He asked as he motioned toward the corridor leading to Joel's cabin.

"Let's be off!"

Crow and Tom returned to Joel's cabin but instead of knocking on the door they just let themselves inside. They were expecting to see Joel laying down on his bunk asleep, but instead they found him leaning against a wall with his shaky hand over his eyes. His pallor looked even paler than it had the night before, and his white t-shirt had sweat stains on the chest and under the arms.

"Joel?" Tom asked worriedly. "What's going on, buddy?"

"Servo?" Joel removed his hand from his eyes and focused his glassy, half opened blue eyes on the hovering robot just inside the door. He noticed Crow standing in the doorway as well. "What're you two doing now? What time is it?"

"We're checking on you!" Tom answered matter-of-factly. "Joel, we think you're in need of repair. Let us help you!"

"I don't need to be 'repaired'," Joel tried to reassure the robots as he put his hand weakly on Tom's shoulder. "I just need to-" Joel suddenly trailed off as the room began to spin around him and legs began to shake.

"To... what?" Tom asked, unaware of Joel's dizzy spell.

Using his hand to guide himself down the wall, Joel slowly lowered himself to the ground onto one knee. Tom descended to the ground at the same pace as Joel, keeping eye contact with his dear friend during the whole trip.

Crow stepped further into the large cabin, curious about Joel's odd behavior. "Maybe he needs to 'reboot'."

"Or enter 'sleep mode'." Tom suggested casually.

"Or upgrade his software."

"Maybe he needs to-"

From the doorway Gypsy interrupted the misinformed discussion. "He needs to rest!"

"Huh?" Crow and Tom turned in unison and looked at Gypsy as she entered the cabin.

"What do you mean 'rest'?" Crow inquired suspiciously.

Gypsy paused a few feet from Joel and quickly scanned his body.

Joel attempted to ease the robots' concerns again. "I'm fine." He forced himself to smile as he spoke. "I just have a headache and stood up too fast, that's all.

Gypsy didn't believe him. She leaned down and put her head under Joel's arm. Without protest she supported most of his weight as she slowly lifted him up from the ground back to his feet. "Joel's sick." She informed Tom and Crow as she continued to monitor Joel.

"'Sick'?" Crow was unfamiliar with that term. "What do you mean sick?"

...to be continued...