Astro Boy
Which God is which?
An Astro/Zoran 2003 fan fiction
By Dan rush
Based on the 1980 Astro Boy Episode 44 "Uran's Quest"
Astro Boy / Tetsuwan Atom by Osamu Tezuka 1954. All rights respected. For non-profit fandom only.
Mid-Morning
Metro City Tokyo Hands store.
Zoran crawled through the chaos and flopped down on a near by step quickly patting herself over to see if she'd been damaged in some way by the insanity before her.
"I don't believe this! They put up a sign that says SALE and every woman within a mile goes insane...Sheesh you'd think they'd have the riot police here by now, how could anyone not expect this to happen every year?"
Somewhere in the chaos of flying clothing and snarling women, Zoran's mother was bravely enduring the crushing madness around her. She latched onto a pair of slacks and drew in another woman through the crowd...
"Oh! Eriko-Chan!" Mrs Atom said smiling.
"Huh?" The larger woman replied. "Sachiko-chan...I didn't know they let robots shop here?"
Noting that at the moment things were becoming a bit too dangerous. Sachiko wrapped an arm around Eriko's shoulder and guided her out of the crush..."What are you doing Sachiko?!"
"The logical thing. Since your daughter and mine are close friends." Mrs Atom said as she got Eriko clear of the crowd. "Your Mauri wouldn't be happy if her mother got injured in all that chaos."
"Speaking of Mauri?..." Eriko said pointing at the crowd.
"I got her." Sachiko replied. "You just sit there and hold on to those slacks."
As Sachiko pushed back into the crowd...little Mauri Nagata crawled her way out and saw Zoran sitting on the steps...
"Hey Zoran!" She waved as she ran up. "What a mess huh?"
"No kidding." Zoran replied. "Is your mom in all that?"
"Like she ever misses a sale. I'm telling you Zoran, some pervert could snatch me right now and my mother would still be throwing punches over a 100 yen pair of socks."
Zoran stood tapping her foot. "Sounds like my mom too. She practically put my clothes on inside/out trying to get out the door this morning. Grown ups are so stupid some times."
"Guess you're lucky you'll never be one." Mauri replied. "Hey...let's go upstairs till the police come and bust this up?"
The two girls jumped onto the escalator and rode it up to the second floor. "You know Zoran...you're kinda like an escalator."
Zoran smirked back. "And I bet you're gonna tell me why?"
"Well it's a machine right?" Mauri replied. "You're a robot and my father says robots are machines."
"Sure..." Zoran replied. "But what's your point? I mean...Humans could be machines if you looked at them a certain way don't you think or were you even paying attention in class last week?"
Mauri snickered back..."Not quite...see...we humans have a soul whereas you robots, like escalators, have only programming which we humans developed to give you the look of being alive."
Zoran jumped from the moving stairs and crossed her arms..."I am alive Mauri...stop talking like a dufus. And while I might be a machine like that escalator, my programming is more advanced and I have advanced intelligence so I'm way out of the way of being like an escalator."
"Oh...you're blowing a rubber o-ring seal again Zoran I mean think about it...look at these toys over here." Mauri took Zoran by the hand to a pair of small robot toys dueling with swords..."You're just like these toys and they have advanced A.I. Too you know. My father says that robots even with advanced A.I. Are just machines without a soul who do what their programmed to do."
"He's wrong." Zoran replied stomping a foot. "I swear Mauri, your Dad's a big mouth. You know me better than that...am I really a stupid escalator to you?"
Mori shook her hands..."No way! Actually you're more a glorified vending machine."
Zoran stomped hard! "And do you know what you are you chowder-head?!"
"Woe! Chowder-head...that's advanced vocabulary even for you Zoran." Mauri snickered. "So what Am I Zoran?"
"You're..." Zoran thought..."You're..." Then Zoran started to look around her until something scurrying under a display case. Suddenly the little robot girl turned into a bulldozing wrecking machine through the toy section of the store!
Mauri stood in shock as surprised people stood beside her..."She's lost her lid!"
After knocking over four display cases full of models and toys, Zoran grabbed what she was looking for and pushed it into Mauri's face. "That's what you are Mauri!"
The six year old girl screamed..."A cockroach! I'm a cockroach to you?!"
"I'm not calling you one!" Zoran replied. "Only that you're living like one."
"And you're a loony bot Zoran!"Mauri snapped back. "I'm telling my mother what you called me!"
"Good! Be sure to tell her you called me a stupid escalator!" Zoran yelled before she suddenly realized the mess she did to the toy section..."Wow...I kinda went a little too far."
11am Saturday
Atom house
Astro hovered in the air holding a piece of plywood over his head and against the ceiling for the new house addition his father was building...
"So dad...what exactly are we going to do with this room?" Astro asked as his father came up a ladder with a nail gun.
"You have any ideas?" Astro's robot father Kensuki replied
"A guest room for my friends...no...no a study room!" Astro said excitedly.
Kensuki smirked. "You mean a game room. I know you're not lying to me son but I know your friends would talk you into sneaking an X- Box when you should be studying for exams."
Just then..."Slam!"...Zoran came through the front door, slammed it hard enough to shake the house and climbed the stairs to her room on the second floor snorting and huffing angrilly to herself..."Dufus! What does Mauri know? God this and that...why I have a mind to talk to this God of hers and slap him silly if I could find him! UGH! Mauri is such a stupid chowder headed...and don't blame me for all the mess at the store...I was the one who got insulted by a stupid dufus!"
"SLAM!"
Astro and his Dad froze as Mrs Atom walked in and flopped into a chair...
"Mom? You ok?" Astro asked as he climbed down from the ladder and Kensuki grabbdd an un-opened can of oil off the kitchen table...
"How was the sale?" Kensuki asked her.
"The maddness or our daughter the demolition expert?" Sachiko replied wiping her face. "Zoran trashed the toy section on the second floor.
"Told you she needs a child leash mom." Astro said shrugging.
"Any way...she called Mauri-chan a cockroach and it all went downhill fast from there. I didn't know our little girl had such a lively vocabulary."
Astro rubbed his head. "What didn't she destroy?"
"Well now she's very upset from the fight she and Mauri had. Mauri called her a soul-less machine that will wind up in a junk yard while the humans go to heaven and now Zoran wants to find out who God is."
Astro looked out the window of the living room and saw a man push his way angrily through the front gate and walk up to the front door. "Don't look now but a fire breathing dragon's pounding at the door."
"Oh no...Mauri-chan's father." Sachiko sighed.
Astro answered the door. "Good morning Mister Umichika."
"Don't good morning me. Where is that loud mouth little robot? I'm going to give her a piece of my mind."
Astro blocked the man's path. "Maybe before you come stomping through our house, you should take a moment to breath and relax."
Astro's parents came up behind him. "We're very sorry for our little girl's behavior." They said...much to Astro's moaning.
"She needs to apologize to my Mauri." Mister Umichika commanded. "My daughter is all upset at being compared to a dirty cockroach."
Suddenly...Zoran stomped out of her room and down the stairs. "I'm not apologizing for anything! Mauri needs to apologize for comparing me to a stupid escalator!"
Astro caught her by the arm..."Don't make things much worse Zoran."
"Why aren't you defending me big brother? Mauri-chan was clearly wrong. I only compared her to a cockroach because she's a living thing like one and then she makes me feel bad but I have to bow to her?! No!" Zoran stomped her foot. "And what right did Mauri have to say I would be on a trash pile while she went to heaven! Who does she think she is?!"
Astro's parents tried to reason with Mister Umichika but the man threw an accusing finger..."She spoke the truth...you robots don't have souls, you weren't created by God but by humans therefore you're not even living beings."
Astro frowned..."Well Zoran was right on two things. Number one you are the same as cockroaches in that you are living flesh but we're all the same regardless because everything is made of Atoms...right Dad?" Astro asked turning to his father.
"Yes...my son is right. We are all made of Atoms." Kensuki said. That remark got Umichika fuming...
"You robots are all the same! Your children are un-disciplined brats and you're all equally crazy!" Umichika snapped.
"Well you're about a dumb as a rock and as worthless as a paperweight without any paper to weight down!" Zoran snapped...much to the shock of her parents.
"Zoran Atom!" Sachiko reacted. "You apologize right now!"
"Why?!" Zoran snapped. "He's insulting us! Big brother...don't let him say such mean things to us!"
Umichika snorted. "I've said enough...you! Are not to go near my daughter ever again! If I so much as see you peep at her? I'll call the police!"
Astro got between his family and the angry man. "I think you've said more than enough Mister Umichika. I'll make sure Zoran stays away from Mauri-chan but you should leave so we don't have any more trouble."
Umichika turned and walked out leaving Astro to close the door and hold his smarting head..."Ugh...that was unpleasant."
"Unpleasant?" Zoran snorted. "What was unpleasant was watching my big brother act like a coward! You should have ripped into that stupid man! Why should we have to apologize to him for anything!"
Sachiko took her daughter's hand and slapped it hard. "Young lady! You must understand that it is not our place to create arguments and seek fights...even when we are insulted, the law doesn't give robots the right to fight back because of the potential troubles it could cause both humans and us."
Astro raised a finger. "Sis...Mauri's father believes that humans are superior to robots, a lot of people do and they will always try to pick fights with us to prove their point so we are better off not to get sucked into a brawl."
Zoran pouted. "But I just don't get it...why should we let them stomp on us? Atlas doesn't let humans push him around and compared to my whimpy big brother...he's just more cool."
Zoran's father waved his finger at her. "Zoran...you must understand that humans made us who we are and without them we would not be here. Our purpose in life is to be a benefit to them not antagonists."
"Oh yeah?" Zoran chirped. "Well if they created us then who created them? I'd like to know so I can give those people a comment card on how they messed up."
Sachiko looked at her husband. "Father? Who did make humans?"
Kensuki shrugged. "You know? I never gave it a thought. After all...Zoran is kind of correct when she said humans are machines in their own way...someone must have made them."
Astro tapped his head. "There's two different thoughts about humans...one is evolution and the other is God."
Zoran smirked. "Evolution sounds about right since humans act like stupid monkies to begin with. If you ask me that whole idea is stupid. So tell me about God big brother? I think humans being made like robots is more factual than them coming from apes."
Astro shrugged his shoulders. "I'm afraid I'm not as smart as you think Zoran."
"But you're top of the line Astro...you should be able to find out who God is right? I mean why does Doctor O'Shay spend so much money on you all the time?" Zoran begged.
Astro smiled. "So I can look sexy."
"Oh! You dufus!" Zoran hit Astro on the chest. "You're being mean to me like always!"
"Ok Zoran!" Astro begged. "Look...we'll go see Doctor O'Shay and talk to him about this."
Ministry of Science
1pm Saturday
Doctor O'Shay leaned back in his office chair and sratched his large nose..."You want to know where God lives, Zoran? Why?"
"Well...I want to talk to him about why he made humans and why robots have been excluded from heaven." Zoran replied. Behind her...Astro was shifting his feet around and looking all over the office trying to not get blamed for his sister's stubbornness. The Doctor could see Astro was agitated...
"Zoran...you're asking a very difficult question of me. God is different to many people around the world and none of them are certain where he actually resides."
Zoran snorted. "That's not possible...how can you have a billion different ideas about God? It makes no sense at all, I may be young and less powerful than Astro but I'm not that stupid."
Doctor O'Shay tried to calm her down..."Zoran...many humans believe that GOD resides in the heart..."
Zoran jumped from her chair and tried to pull Doctor O'Shay's dress coat apart! "Is that true?!" She yelped. "Then come out of there God, you and I need to talk!"
Astro pulled Zoran off Doctor O'Shay..."Zoran! Cut it out!"
"I'm not done!" Zoran snapped as Astro carried her on a shoulder. "I'm gonna get my two cents in with you GOD if its' the last thing I do! I have complaints! You need to recall the humans! I'll call the consumer product safety administration and get a defective complaint against you I swear!"
Astro dropped Zoran on her butt on the grass outside the ministry. "Now that's enough Zoran! We asked Doctor O'Shay and he gave us his best answer. You'll just have to be satisfied with that."
"Well I'm not!" Zoran huffed. "What right does Mauri have to say we're just junk big brother? I want to know what God thinks! I want an explanation as to why he made humans so defective...I lost my best friend because of all this and her dumb father and I wanna know why!"
Astro sighed..."Zoran? Please...what can I do?"
"You can find out who the real God is, can't you big brother?" Zoran begged.
"But what you're asking for is very hard Zoran. You're asking me to take a long time in doing something where the results might be a disapointment to you."
Zoran pleaded. "Please Astro? Big brother I know you can do it. Please?"
Astro rubbed his head. "Alright...alright...I will try to find out who the real God is but no matter what? If I bring you something you may not like hearing...you have to agree with it, do you understand?"
Zoran nodded.
"Alright then...you have to be patient with this ok? Promise me?"
"I promise." Zoran replied. Astro looked up and sighed when she turned her head...
"Oh what the robot hell did I just do to myself?" He thought as as shook his head.
Evening
Atom House
"Beep..." "How dare you stand me up when I challenge you! You better be ready when I get to your house Astro because they'll need a microscope to find your remains!"
Landing on the lawn of the house...Atlas was fit to be tied. The red colored, yellow haired boy bot was in a fume producing rage as he stomped up to the Atom family front door and rang the bell...
"Open the stupid door someone." Atlas stood groaning to himself. "Wonder what human activity this moron has his "family" doing?"
Zoran opened the door and almost did a hillarious "pee dance" before her idol. "You're here in the flesh! "giggles"..."In real life you're a bigger hunk than I thought!"
Atlas scowled at Zoran. "I don't have flesh...now where is that stupid dufus you call a brother?"
"He's in his room...but I think he needs to be left alone." Zoran said as she got out of the way of Atlas as he walked into the house and stood stomping a foot...
"I don't care if he's playing a harp in his room. You go up there and tell him that Atlas is down here angry and if he continues to spur my challenges? I will totally destroy this house, your cars and anything else you think is important!"
Zoran hauled off and smacked Atlas in the face! The boldness of her move caused Atlas to stand in shock..."You?...you smacked me..."
"I should punch you for being rude!" Zoran snapped. "I've had a really bad day and if you continue to be a jerk? I'll have a really bad day and then I'll give you a bad day! Now sit down and shut your stupid mouth!"
Atlas wisely found a chair. "That's the first time anyone ever really stood up to me."
"What?" Zoran snorted. "My big brother stands up to you all the time."
Atlas shook his head. "Actually no...he spends more time trying to talk himself out of punishment for being a stupid dufus. But I will not hit you because you are a small girl."
"Watch the insults Jack!" Zoran huffed. "I'll go get Astro and you two cave dwelling boys can go outside and beat each other stupid like always."
Atlas sat thinking what he would say to Astro as Sachiko came by him with the laundry..."Hello Atlas." She said with a smile.
"Hello Mrs Atom." Atlas replied.
"Sigh..." The woman robot said..."What is it this time?"
Atlas tapped his fingers on the side of the chair. "I was wrongly defamed on the news by Astro..."
Sachiko waved a finger. "Now please...don't do any serious damages?"
"Maybe a busted arm this time." Atlas snickered. "To re-pay him for chucking that stupid baseball into my teeth."
Zoran came down from the second floor..."He says he has no time for your stupid games...he's busy...go home."
Atlas slapped his leg with a hand. "Oh yeah! Why that stupid...human hugging... worthless pile of scrap!" And hopped off his chair...
Zoran threw her arms out. "Not in our house!"
Atlas stopped and glared at her..."I'll try to be careful." He said smiling an evil grin before walking up the stairway..."I'll try not to mess the wall paper up...can't say much for super dork up there though." The red boy bot stomped determined up the steps to Astro's bedroom door where he pounded on the door frame...
"GET OUT HERE! ASTRO! I DEMAND YOU FACE ME! I CHALLENGE YOU!" Atlas yelled...
"Come on in but I'm not fighting you tonight." Astro replied, the tone enough to cause Atlas to stomp inside, slam the door behind him and take up a commanding if not funny looking heroic posture...
"You have insulted me for the last time Astro! Get out of that stupid chair and fight me!" Atlas snapped.
Astro turned in his study chair and sighed..."I don't have time for this Atlas...I'm sort of buried in research right now unless your eyes are not working?"
Atlas looked at the mountains of books around the desk and snorted. "Hmph...I can wait on you any day. Just what kind of silly thing are you doing anyways? Is this another assignment from your pimp?"
Astro snapped. "Doctor O'Shay is not a pimp you creep!"
"Oooo...touched a nerve huh?" Atlas snickered. "Come on...just a five minute fist fight on the lawn or are you afraid I'll beat you bad like the last time?"
Astro snorted. "I said...I'm not interested in your little antics Atlas! I have a lot to do...now go away."
Atlas crossed his arms..."So what are you doing that's more important than say...preventing me from trashing your BMX bike by the garage?"
"Obviously it's more important than that." Astro replied.
Just to be an annoyance...Atlas walked up to the study desk and snatched a few of the books piled around it..."Hmph?...Islam? Greek Gods? Central American mythos? What's this all about?"
"I'm trying to find out who God is and where I can find him." Astro replied.
Atlas gave him a blank look..."You're...trying to do what?"
"I'm trying to find out who God is and where I can find him." Astro replied.
Atlas shook his head..."Are you freeking kidding me?
"What?" Astro asked. "I'm doing it for my sister."
Atlas chuckled..."You're trying to find God and where he lives? I thought you were a few screws loose but now? You're proving to be just as stupid as I think you are!"
Astro jumped from his chair. "What does that mean?!"
"That you're an idiot." Atlas huffed. "God? Are you so ill informed and clueless Astro? God doesn't exist! Any robot knows that's a fact."
Astro stomped a foot. "And how do you know?"
"Because...if he did exist? He would show himself..."Hey God?! Hello? God?" Atlas walked around Astro's room calling God and then shrugged his shoulders..."See? Problem solved. Now stop this stupid stuff and lets go, I demand you fight me now!"
Astro returned to his desk and looked through another book...
"Slap!" Atlas slammed the book closed. "What did I just get through telling you?! Stop this stupid nonsense and let's fight!"
Astro remained calm even as he felt Atlas breathing on his neck..."I'm not going to fight you right now because my little sister is very upset and while she's upset? I'm going to do everything I can to make her not upset. You can sit down and maybe be a little helpful or you can leave." Astro opened the book again and started reading it...
"Ugh..." Atlas moaned with a shudder..."Don't you get it? Humans make up this "god" thing for all kinds of reasons. They need to explain the elements, have reason for earthquakes, floods and disasters, have some sort of moral guideline...are you programmed right or do you enjoy flying blind all the time?"
Astro turned in his chair and pushed a finger into Atlas's nose. "Ok! Prove there is no God!"
"What?" Atlas replied stunned.
"You harp on me because I want to find God...so back up your stupid trap and prove to me there is no God...prove it or shut up." Astro commanded.
"What did I just get through trying to explain?!" Atlas replied frustrated. "Are you dense? I just told you why humans cook up this god thing, don't you get it?"
"Atlas?...prove it or shut up." Astro huffed. "Ok...ok...just to sweeten the deal here, you know what I'll do if you can positively prove god does not exist? I'll get on television, tell everyone that you're 100 percent right as far as humans and then I promise to be your slave...nothing perverted though! I'll do anything you want."
Atlas smiled. "I've already got a collar and leash that will fit you."
Astro grabbed a book and pushed it into Atlas's chest..."Might as well start then. You want a pizza?"
"Yeah..." Atlas replied. "This is going to be the easiest victory I ever had against you."
Astro waved a hand. "Yeah...yeah...blah...blah...you get to start with Greek Mythology."
One hour later...
"Hmmmm..." Atlas said as he lay on his back reading the book on Greek Mythology. "What's the textbook definition of a god again?"
Astro replied. "According to Websters...God is a being perfect in power, wisdom and goodness who is worshiped as the creator and ruler of the universe."
Atlas threw the book aside..."So much for the Greeks."
"That easy?" Astro asked as Atlas sat up.
"Well look at them...especially Zeus...I mean...he was an unfaithful, adulterating pervert. Sheesh...the guy raped a woman in the guise of a bull."
Astro grabbed the book. "What? Our history teacher in school didn't mention that." Astro read the pages and put the book down. "ugh...now I have sicko furry thoughts on the brain."
"Obviously Zeus can't be God and how can you have like a gazillion gods for everything? That makes no sense at all, I mean look at the Greek pantheon...they're all backstabbers, murderers, rapists, thieves...sheesh if that were actually god and humans claim they came from god? This world would be messed up more than it is now." Atlas huffed. "See? Absolutely fruitless pursuit, I just proved that god does not exist."
Astro put up a finger as he chewed on a slice of pizza..."Hold on...are you an immortal being?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Atlas huffed.
"To say that god does not exist Atlas, you have to be an immortal being with all knowing powers and since you and I are both robots...and all we know is the information we get from the world...which is not infinite but finite...you can't logically make such a statement that god does not exist." Astro said with a smile.
"I'm starting to seriously hate you." Atlas replied frowning.
"Starting?" Astro wondered. "You've hated me since we met." He grabbed a book on Egyptian mythology. "So...the Egyptian gods are out of it too then?
"By reasoning...yeah." Atlas replied. "So that would toss out a whole slew of human religions like the Vikings, the Hindus, The American Indians, The Inca, The Mayans, the Aztecs, the Toltec..."
Atlas started separating the mountains of books into piles. "Why did you get all these books? We're both walking computers, we could just surf the web and be done with this stupid exercise in like three hours."
"Because I love books." Astro replied. "Or is my room not that obvious?"
"You have human on the brain." Atlas sighed.
Astro closed one book he was skimming through and put his feet up on his study desk. "Answer me this? Who came up with the robot laws?"
"Issac Asimov." Atlas replied. "A robot will always serve humans...(eeesh, stupid) A robot will never harm a human nor will a robot allow a human to come to harm by active thought or neglectful ignorance...yaddah, yaddah..."
"And you follow those laws?" Astro asked.
"Of course." Atlas huffed. "Not happily mind you but I can't go against the laws if I tried."
Astro got up and paced about his room, snatching a baseball off his dresser and throwing it into Atlas's hands...after a bit they naturally threw the ball back and forth...
"Doesn't it upset you that the robot laws were given to us by a human?" Astro asked.
"Upset me?" Atlas snorted. "It ticks me off. How can fleshies give us anything moral when they are such blatant moral hypocrites? What right does any human dare have to tell me how I should act?"
Astro sat back down..."So rightly...we should have been granted the very same behavior that humans do...after all...you have the Omega Factor."
"So what?" Atlas replied. "Even if I have a greater range of emotional freedom and ability than you? I have no right to violate the robot laws. I've never killed a human as much as I wanted to kill Skunk and trust me...I wanted him dead."
"But then...you're violating your own behavior." Astro said with a finger point and a wink. "What's the point of all you've done in the past five years...including busting me up with some very expensive repair bills...if you don't even believe your own principles and willingly follow the principles created by flawed hypocritical humans?"
Atlas shook his head..."What are you getting at?"
Astro tossed another book at Atlas with a book mark in it. "Read where the book mark points..." Astro asked.
"The autobiography of Issac Asimov" Atlas said as he looked at the cover. He then turned the pages till he landed on number 156...
"When I originally thought about the robot laws for "I robot" I was faced with the question of how to interpret them and the more I wrote in my notes, the more I came to realize that I was going to end up with quite an overtly lengthy story in which so many different concepts of human law could not possibly be fit into the story I was trying to keep as short as possible. Finally I looked back to my Jewish upbringing for inspiration and settled upon the verse of the ten commandments which states "Thou shalt not Kill." and knowing well that Judeo/Christian God is superior to all of man's feeble attempts at moral legislation; I crafted the three laws to the Judeo/Christian God's commands regarding behavior, respect for life and righteous conduct of living. The three laws of robotics are what you could consider the capstone to the much larger complexity required for a sentient machine to exist in co-equality with humans and from these three, the wider context of robot behavior and life mirrors the equitable perfection of Judeo/ Christian God."
Atlas snapped the book closed. "Oh give me a break!"
"What?!" Astro replied. "You tell me...could Issac Asimov logically have given us the three laws if he were just a human who cooked them up from his own brain?
Atlas stood brooding. "No..."if" I were going off of robot logic. He's no different than any human; they're all liars, cheats, backstabbers and thieves and that's fact."
"But he's a human and he gave us our laws Atlas." Astro said as he stood with his arms out from his sides. "You accept that don't you?"
"He could never have crafted them! The stupid humans can't even agree on what dumb ties to wear or what shoes to put on let alone agree on anything lawful. I know humans who think Asimov is a stupid fool who prohibits us from being weaponized, I know robots who hate him because we believe he's made us weak slaves! Only someone who's not tainted by human stupidity is moral enough..."
Atlas stopped talking..."I'm leaving." He snorted. Astro jumped in front of the door. "No you don't! Don't go blowing me off like you usually do Atlas! What were you thinking?"
"I'm thinking that if you don't get out of my face...I'll beat your face in!" Atlas snapped.
"Atlas?" Astro replied looking deeply sympathetic. "Atlas? Come on...what?"
Atlas sighed deeply..."To give a moral law...you need a moral law giver who can't be corrupted...which means he can't be a human or have any human flaws...which means you need a higher moral law giver...and since we robots got our laws from a human...who seems to have been inspired by some sort of faith..."
Astro smiled..."Yeah?"
"That still doesn't mean there's a god." Atlas snorted.
"Oh for crying out stupid loud Atlas!" Astro huffed. "You just said Asimov could not have created the three laws without some foundation of morality and you don't accept humans as being moral!"
"That doesn't mean there's a god." Atlas huffed.
Astro cringed in frustration then walked to fall on his bed..."Ugh...I need to take a break...my head hurts..And yeah...it actually smarts!"
Atlas walked over and sat on the bed. He took a moment to look around..."Would you mind if I stayed here tonight?"
Astro looked up..."You what?"
"Can I stay here tonight? With you?" Atlas asked. "Just for tonight only...call it a truce."
Astro thought..."Have to ask my parents. You know..."
9 pm
Zoran's room...
Atlas knocked on the door and entered to find Zoran sitting in her bed with her hair down to he shoulders neatly brushed...
"Hello." Atlas said as he walked up. "If I'm a bother, I'll just leave." He then saw the huge poster of himself on a wall, his body curled around like he was about to punch someone into orbit. "Where did that come from?"
Zoran replied smiling. "My brother's processor. I think you slugged him through a building or something." She looked at Atlas's pajamas and giggled..."Wow...Kimba the White Lion? How cute."
"It was the only pair your brother had." Atlas snorted. "I came to talk to you about this problem of yours...especially this "god thing" you put on your brother."
Zoran flopped back on her pillow..."Ugh...Mauri-chan...she text me."
"I thought you hated her?" Atlas asked.
"Like ever." Zoran sighed. "We say dumb things to each other all the time...she says she didn't mean to be so cruel, of course she thinks I'll be welcome in heaven...we're still friends...daddy doesn't want me to see you...Now I kinda see why you can't stand humans."
Atlas frowned. "I can't stand girls especially. I don't know who's worse...flat out humans or human girls and the robots they beguile that are built like girls."
"Are you insulting me?" Zoran snorted.
"No...I'm begging you to go into your brother's room and tell him to stop his stupid nonsense." Atlas huffed. "You got him all screwed up chasing after god and now I'm messed up having to listen to him prattle."
"Well you can forget it." Zoran snorted. "I'm not telling him anything. Once he's committed, he won't quit...so there."
"You're going to let that human girl bother you about something that's just made up?" Atlas asked.
"If it's made up then prove it." Zoran snorted.
"Not you too?" Atlas sighed. "Really? I wonder if I'll get any rest tonight between the two of you."
Hours later...
Atlas rolled over on the bed and looked down at Astro as he lay playing with a Rubik's cube on an air mattress. "You didn't have to give up your bed. This is your room after all."
"You're a guest...it's expected to make sure you're comfortable." Astro replied. "Hah! Finally got it." He said as he held up the finished cube. "I turned off all my logic functions to make this challenging. Only took me an hour to finish it."
The red boy bot shook his head. "You are so amusing at times...why go through all the trouble? You could have figured that out in seconds."
Astro quickly scrambled the cube and solved it in five seconds. "Like that? And then I'd sit here totally board to death until I found something else to solve. After an hour I'd have nothing left and then I'd just sit here with no purpose."
Atlas lay down curiously hugging the pillow which Astro found interesting..."Hey?" Atlas asked. "Do you turn everything off when you power down for the night?"
Astro shook his head. "No...I like to be aware of things. I usually scan around like three times during the night...you know...roll around and shift in bed?"
Atlas rolled on his side..."me too...I can't go "cold iron" (The term for a robot powered down to the battery reserves) I'm to nervous to do it."
Astro lay on his back and sighed..."Do you remember that fight where you threw me in a trash dumpster?"
Atlas thought then looked mournful..."I'm sorry."
"Huh?" Astro replied. "You're sorry?"
Atlas sat up. "It was never my intention to beat you up that severely...But I couldn't control the Omega Factor...I really wasn't myself...long story."
Astro smiled. "It's hard for me to hold a grudge...any way...I couldn't use my radio, my insides were messed up, my battery was really low, my reserve power cell was shot and I thought my processor was going to fail...you know what happens when the processor fails..."
"Yeah..." Atlas replied playing with his hands. "The chances of recovering any memory go poof."
"There's a lot to think about...I thought about the Doctor...Reno...my friends...my sister...then I just started talking to god." Astro said.
Atlas frowned. "Really? I'd be thinking of a way out, not wasting my time talking to something that doesn't reply."
"I know to you it sounds stupid." Astro said. "But you know? I didn't mind it so much that my processor might fail...after I just talked...I felt...ok..."
Atlas hugged the pillow..."So what did you and Mister Snuffle-upi-cus talk about?"
"Now you're being mean." Astro huffed.
"You can't see him, he doesn't talk back, he's an imaginary friend ok? Atlas snickered.
Astro patted his chest as he lay on his back..."I said..."I don't know what you think about me but if you kinda like me? Can you help me? I hope you like robots and you think we do good things." Guess what happened?"
"You levitated out of the dumpster." Atlas snickered.
"Five minutes later." Astro said. "A guy who was dumpster diving pulled me out. He called Reno and I was on my way home. Now go ahead and say..."Duh coincidence stupid."
"Exactly." Atlas huffed. "If there was a god and he's all powerful? He would have just zapped you back to the ministry. What happened was just a case of random events which are totally unrelated to one another."
Atlas rolled on the bed. "Now quit blabbing and go to bed. The faster I win the bet, the faster you become my slave."
Astro sat smiling. "You saying sorry is a mark of weakness you know? At least that's from your perspective..."
"Shut up and go to bed?" Atlas huffed. "Oh yeah...be sure to pray, I'm sure it will please mister Snuffle-up-pic-us."
End of Chapter 1