Author's Note
Don't worry about the first paragraph, it's a hologram program. No flames, that means you, anonymous imposter.
--
The streets of Gotham City were full of screaming, terrified people as the Joker unleashed his newest, deadliest weapon. There was only one man who could put an end to the Joker's heinous crimes… Batman! The Dark Knight himself leapt from his Batmobile and locked eyes with the Joker… the Joker opened his mutilated mouth to sound Batman's doom…
"B? BOB-E!"
Even with the Batman armor encasing his body, BOB-E still managed to jump about three feet in the air at the sound of EVE's voice. When he whirled around and caught sight of his friends, he called for the computer to pause the program. "EVE, don't ever do that again, please! You shouldn't do that to a man who's staring the Joker dead in the eye."
GO-4 burst out laughing. She couldn't help herself; BOB-E was a comical sight in his Batman costume. "I'm sorry, BOB-E, but I don't think Gotham's in any danger right now – from the Joker's crimes or dying from laughing at you. No offense, but the costume is a little wonky looking."
BOB-E blushed. "I know; and it's the last time I trust NAN-E to whip up a costume for me. She loves to work with her hands, you know, and she insisted on making it out of scratch. I suggested she replicate one, but…" here he sighed. "Now I'm fighting crime in Gotham looking like a cross between Batman and the Scarecrow."
EVE chuckled and reached for her plant collector. "BOB-E, you should examine our latest discoveries from the Lunai ruins on Earth. We have found some rare gems this time."
"You found gems this time?" They had BOB-E's full attention. "Computer, replace Program BOB-E-11 with Program BOB-E-5." Gotham City was immediately replaced by a surprisingly cozy room – not unlike Sherlock Holmes' home, EVE thought.
Quick as a flash, BOB-E stripped out of his Batman gear. "Let me see here…" he picked up a book titled Precious Jewels of Ancient Civilizations. "What have you got for me today, EVE?"
EVE opened the plant collector and carefully lifted the blue teardrop out. BOB-E whistled as he took it in his hands. "I never thought I'd live to see this one."
"What is it?" EVE asked.
"The ancient Lunai called this jewel the Teardrop of the Moon," BOB-E said, without consulting his book. "It was given to their first queen by her husband on their wedding day; the day their kingdom finally entered a time of peace. It was passed on through their family until the Lunai Civil War destroyed the kingdom and left the city in ruins. Thank God the BnL brought the planet out of its Dark Ages and you guys found this jewel."
EVE's blue eyes were wide with wonder. "Intriguing," she breathed.
"What about this one?" GO-4 dug through EVE's plant collector and pulled out the other gem he had found – a fiery red jewel shaped like a heart. Eager as a child at Christmas, BOB-E thumbed through the book with nimble fingers. "Here it is – the Heart of the Sun," he announced, his forefinger resting on a picture of the gem. "Every year, the Lunai would celebrate a holiday called the Sunfire Festival. In accordance with Lunai religious beliefs, a Lunai priest would place this gem – the Heart of the Sun – on an altar in the temple, in order to appease their sun god to keep the sun from burning out." BOB-E shook his head in amazement. "Apparently, it was quite a festival. The Lunai would gather in the temple courtyard for feasting and dancing."
Wham! It was like an electric jolt to EVE's positronic net. "Dancing!" she cried, realizing that he had inadvertently skipped Hello, Dolly. "The performance! Captain John McCrea will have me dismantled for this!" EVE grabbed the jewels and shoved them back into her plant collector, now that time was of the essence.
"Hello, Dolly was today? I could've sworn it was this weekend! I guess some idiot in the theater group slipped us the wrong date," growled GO-4, who was almost as surprised as EVE.
"I am sorry, but we must go," EVE apologized to BOB-E before running out of the hologram program. "Thank you, BOB-E!"
"Anytime, EVE! Anytime," BOB-E called after her, raising an arm in salute.
--
Unbeknownst to EVE, GO-4, or anyone on the Axiom, someone was watching the android like a hawk. "Yes, hurry on back, EVE," a sneering voice muttered to no one in particular. "We wouldn't want to miss dear old John McCrea's party, now would we? Party, indeed, ha!"
Stuck being autopilot, AUTO slammed his hand against the table he was leaning on. "If only John McCrea had made me not be the autopilot of the Axiom when he had the opportunity; I would have shown him how to party! God knows, I have more rhythm than twelve humans." AUTO huffed as he continued to watch EVE and GO-4 dart through the starship's corridors. "Well, I'll give him a party he won't forget soon enough! STU-ARDS!" he called, heralding the arrival of two security bots. "I want you to help me keep a close eye on John McCrea's probe. Who knows? This may be the perfect test of the WALL-E race I've been waiting for." AUTO let out a mirthless laugh as the bots disappeared.