Chapter 13: Realizations
Cora's POV:
Zane, Sludge, and Widget agreed to meet me at the park.
"What's this all about, Cora?" Zane asked.
"You know what it's about." I replied.
"Those stupid rocks?" Zane asked.
"Yes, those stupid rocks." I replied in annoyance.
"What about them?" Sludge asked.
"Haven't you noticed anything strange about them?" I asked.
"No." Widget said. "They're just usual everyday rocks."
I sighed and put my hand on my face. "Okay. Let me put it this way. Where have we seen those types of rocks before?"
"I haven't seen rocks like that here." Widget said.
"That's my point." I said.
Zane's eyes widened. "We've seen those rocks on the Surface!"
"Yes!" I said. "Finally! Someone gets it!"
"So those rocks came from the Surface?" Sludge asked.
"Yeah." I said. "Probably."
"So the pranksters came from the Surface?" Widget asked.
"Either that or they somehow just got the rocks from the Surface." Zane said.
"If that was true, why would they pull the prank now?" I asked. "It's been months since Metro City was placed in the sky again."
"Maybe someone just went to the Surface and brought the rocks back." Widget suggested.
"C'mon, guys. Get real." I said. "No one from Metro City except me, Astro, and probably Hamegg knows the Surface well enough to find this much rocks."
Zane sighed. "Fine. I'm convinced. So who did this? The RRF?"
"No." I said. "There's no way that this could help them 'free' all robots. Even they have to realize that."
"Didn't the rocks have newspapers attached to them?" Widget asked.
"Yeah." I said. "Oddly, they were folded so only one word showed."
"What were the words?" Sludge asked.
"'Help,' 'astronaut,' and 'uranium.'" I replied. "There may be others, though."
"Excuse me?" Said a voice.
We turned to the voice and saw a robot standing there. I think I know him.
"Hi." I said. "Aren't you Dr. Tenma's robotic butler?"
"Yes, I am." He replied. "We've met before."
"Oh, that's right." I said. "I remember now. What was your name, again?"
"It's Orrin." he replied. "I"m sorry. I must have forgotten to tell you my name."
"Don't worry about it." Sludge said.
"Anyway, have any of you seen Astro or Uran?" Orrin asked.
I frowned. "No, why?"
"Dr. Tenma and I have no idea where they are." Orrin said. "Neither of them came home last night. The police are currently looking for them."
"I thought I heard police sirens when I came here." Zane said.
Orrin looked nervous. "Bill is very worried. If any of you see either of them, tell them that Bill wants them home right away."
"Who's Bill?" Widget asked.
"Astro's father." Orrin replied. "That's his first name. I'm still at a loss about what to call him myself, but he told me to call him Bill. It's actually pretty uncomfortable for me. Well, I better go. Thanks again."
With that, Orrin left, leaving us alone.
"Astro and Uran are missing?" Widget said.
"I called Astro this morning, but he didn't answer." I said. "That explains why."
"Should we worry?" Sludge asked.
"I wouldn't." Zane said. "He's probably just still dealing with Uran. That's probably why they haven't come home yet."
"Maybe." I said. "It doesn't sound like Astro, though. He probably should have dealt with Uran by now."
Suddenly, I remembered something.
"Uh, guys." I said. "Didn't one of the rocks had the word 'help' on it?"
"Yeah." Zane said. Suddenly, his eyes widened. "You don't think-"
"How do we know Astro and Uran really need help?" Widget asked. "It could have been anyone."
"Guys, some of the other words that were attached to the rocks were 'astronaut' and 'uranium.'" I said.
"So?" Zane said.
"Don't you guys get it?" I asked. "Astronaut and uranium."
All of their eyes widened.
"So, they really do need help." Widget realized.
"Yeah. No kidding." I said.
"So what do we do?" Sludge asked.
"Let's go tell Dr. Tenma." I suggested.
"Shouldn't we tell the police first?" Zane asked.
"No." I said. "It's more important that we tell Dr. Tenma. That way, if Astro or Uran are damaged in any way, Tenma will be able to help them quicker."
"Yeah, I guess." Zane said.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Sludge asked. "Let's go!"
Dr. Tenma's POV:
I don't get it. Where could Astro and Uran be? They've been missing since last night. It's unlike Astro. Uran, I'm not too sure yet.
Suddenly, Orrin came in.
"Any sign of them?" I asked.
"None." Orrin replied. "I've even found their friends. None of them even know where they are."
"This isn't good." I said.
"Do you think someone kidnapped them?" Orrin asked.
"I don't know." I admitted. "Astro and Uran are both unaffected by the Laws of Robotics. They can fight back if they must. Also, I've given them both very advanced weaponry. They should be able to protect themselves."
"Maybe we're wrong, then." Orrin suggested. "Maybe nothing bad has actually happened."
"Orrin, there's no way Astro would stay out this late." I said. "He's too obedient about these kind of things. The only explanation I have is something has happened to him and Uran."
"In that case, we should just let the police handle it." Orrin said. "They'll find them."
"I hope you're right." I said. "I already lost one child, I won't lose anymore!"
At that point, the doorbell rang. Orrin went to answer it.
Third Person POV:
"Hello?" Orrin greeted as he answered the door. "Oh, it's you guys! What brings you here? Did you find Astro?"
"No, we didn't." Cora said. "Can we talk to Dr. Tenma?"
Orrin frowned nervously. "I don't think that's a good idea. Dr. Tenma is nearly in a state of hysterics because of Astro and Uran's disappearance."
"It concerns Astro." Zane told him.
Orrin looked at him, then thought it over.
"Well, in that case, come in." Orrin said.
"Thank you." Widget said.
Zane, Widget, Sludge, and Cora came in. When they came into the living room, Dr. Tenma looked up at them.
"Aren't you Astro's friends?" He asked.
"Yeah." Zane said. "We are."
"What are you all doing here?" Dr. Tenma asked. "Have you found Astro and Uran?"
"We think so." Sludge told him.
Dr. Tenma raised an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean 'you think so?'"
"Did you see the news this morning?" Cora asked.
"No." Dr. Tenma replied, starting to get annoyed. "I've been too busy trying to find my son and my daughter!"
"Calm down!" Cora said. "We think the news report and Astro and Uran's disappearance may be connected."
"What are you talking about?" Dr. Tenma demanded.
"This morning, rocks were discovered on the edge of Metro City." Cora told him. "Most of them had newspapers on it. They were folded so only certain words show."
"Some of them said 'help,' 'uranium,' and 'astronaut.'" Widget said.
Dr. Tenma raised an eyebrow, then looked at the ground. "'Uranium' and 'astronaut?'"
"Dr. Tenma remained silent for a moment, then his eyes widened. "Uranium and astronaut?!"
"Bingo." Cora said.
Dr. Tenma sat down.
"So something did happen to them." Orrin realized.
"That's what we think." Cora said.
"Did the rocks say anything else?" Dr. Tenma asked. "Possibly a clue where they are?"
"They didn't." Sludge told him.
"However, we recognized the rocks." Cora said. "They come from the Surface."
"The Surface?!" Dr. Tenma exploded. "I told Astro not to go there! Why am I not surprised?!"
"I'm sure he didn't wanna go there." I assured him.
Dr. Tenma seemed to calm down. "Nevermind. I think I know who kidnapped them."
"Who?" Sludge asked.
"Hamegg!" Dr. Tenma replied. "As soon as Astro told me that Hamegg lived on the Surface, I knew that Hamegg would try to do something to him!"
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Widget asked. "Let's go help them!"
"It's not that simple." Dr. Tenma said. "None of you know Hamegg as well as I do. He's a very brilliant guy. He always thinks things through. Rescuing Astro and Uran will be much more difficult than you may think."
At that point, the phone went off. Dr. Tenma went to answer it. As soon as he did, a hologram of Hamegg appeared.
"Hamegg!" Dr. Tenma said. "Where are Astro and Uran?!"
"They're safe." Hamegg assured him. "For now."
"What do you want?" Dr. Tenma demanded.
"Just revenge, of course." Hamegg replied. Suddenly, he looked behind Dr. Tenma. "Well, look who's here... uh, there."
"What did you do to Astro and Uran?" Cora demanded as she and the others flashed him the death glare.
"Not much." Hamegg replied. "However, I will do a lot more if Astro, Uran, and Tenma disobey me."
"Again, what is it that you exactly want?" Dr. Tenma asked.
"A compromise." Hamegg said. "Here's my deal. I'll free Astro and Uran, but first, you must lie to the police and tell them that you found Astro and Uran."
"Fine, Hamegg." Dr. Tenma said.
"Also, you have to permanently shut down the Ministry of Science." Hamegg added.
"What?!" Dr. Tenma cried. "Why do you want that?"
"Simple." Hamegg replied. "I can send a message to those who wronged me, such as yourself, and you'll lose your job."
"Have you lost your mind?" Dr. Tenma asked.
"Have you?" Hamegg said, suddenly raising his hand. "Let me put it this way: I've tied Uran and Astro each to a metal pillar with a highly conductive wire. These buttons on this remote will allow me to send electricity through the wires. I'm sure that as a roboticist, you of all people will know the longterm effects of what that'll do to Astro and Uran."
Dr. Tenma sighed. "Fine, Hamegg. I'll do it. Just don't do anything else to Uran or Astro."
Hamegg smiled. "Good man. Well, I'll be seeing you. I'll give you eight hours. If the Ministry isn't permanently shut down by then, I'll fry Astro and Uran's circuits beyond repair."
"Astro saved your life, you know." Widget reminded him.
"I know." Hamegg said. "However, that doesn't change anything. I'll make him numb during the procedure so he can't feel anything, but I'll still fry his circuits."
"I said I'll do it, Hamegg." Dr. Tenma said. "Don't hurt either of them!"
"I won't. For now." Hamegg said.
Suddenly, the phone call ended. The hologram of Hamegg vanished with it.
"Now what?" Zane asked.
Dr. Tenma sighed. "I'm gonna ask every member of the Ministry to meet me there."
"You're not really gonna shut down the ministry, are you?" Widget asked.
"I have no choice." Dr. Tenma replied. "At this point, I don't know if Hamegg is bluffing or not. Even if he isn't, I still don't know what he's capable of doing."
"We might." Zane said.
Dr. Tenma turned to him. "What?"
"We used to live with Hamegg." Cora told him. "He ran an orphanage on the Surface. After the last Robot Games, we started to distrust him. Most of us ended up getting adopted by families in Metro City, and we haven't heard much of Hamegg since."
"What are the Robot Games?" Dr. Tenma asked.
"They were a competition that Hamegg ran." Zane replied. "Robots would battle each other until only one of them remained."
Dr. Tenma rose an eyebrow. "And by remain, you mean-"
"The only one not destroyed." Cora finished.
"Did-did Hamegg make Astro participate in these games?" Dr. Tenma asked.
"Yeah, he did." Sludge told him. "After he found out Astro was a robot."
Dr. Tenma placed his hands on his face. He took a breath. "I swear, if Hamegg wasn't blackmailing me, I'd strangle that son of a-"
"Woah, calm down." Cora said, raising her hands. "Let's not give Hamegg another reason to hate you."
Tenma sighed. "Fine. I doubt he can hear me, anyway. I'm gonna go to the Ministry. You guys may stay. Orrin? Can you escort them out when they decide to leave?"
"On it." Orrin replied.
"Well, I'm off." Dr. Tenma said.
With that, Tenma left, leaving the others alone.
"Now what?" Zane asked.
"Should we try to save Astro and Uran ourselves?" Sludge asked.
"I don't know." Cora said. "Maybe we could find a way to disable that remote of his."
Cora turned to Orrin. "Orrin, do you know anything about disabling remotes?"
"Unfortunately, no, I don't." Orrin replied. "I may be a robot, but I don't know anything about assembling or disassembling them."
"Maybe Dr. Tenma could invent something that could." Widget suggested.
"Maybe, we should talk to him." Sludge suggested.
"It could work." Orrin said. "Do you want me to drive you there?"
"Yes, please." Cora replied.
"Let's go, then." Orrin said. "We can't waste any time."
The others nodded. Orrin led them to the car. They got in, then Orrin drove them to the Ministry.
"Now that I think of it, I wonder how Bill's gonna get to the Ministry if I'm not driving him there." Orrin thought to himself.
Dr. Tenma's POV:
I started to walk to the Ministry, but then I remembered that it's gonna be a long walk. Instead, I picked up my cell phone, then called Dr. Elefun.
"Hello?" Dr. Elefun greeted when he picked up.
"Elefun, can you pick me up and take us to the Ministry?" I asked. "I need to talk with everyone. It's urgent."
"No problem, Tenma." Dr. Elefun replied. "What's this about?"
"I'll explain later." I replied before hanging up.
I sighed. The decision I'm about to make is gonna change my life (and possibly everyone else's) forever, but it's worth it if it means I can save Astro and Uran...
AN 1: Well, there's Chapter 13. Tell me what you think.
AN 2: Reply to newguy.126548's review: thanks for the review. I really appreciate it. Sorry, but Astro will not be developing any new powers in this story. Thanks for the suggestion, though.