Chapter 21:
Astro's POV:
Zane, Uran, and I are waiting for Widget to return. I'm surprised that it took her this long to find a pair of pliers. Hopefully, she'll find some soon. These wires are starting to get uncomfortable. Suddenly, the door opens. We all looked up. Standing there was Cora, was a worried look on her face.
"Cora?" I said. "I thought you were distracting Hamegg. Is everything okay?"
"Not really." Cora replied.
I raised an eyebrow. I could tell from her tone that something is up.
"Cora, what's wrong?" I asked.
Cora didn't reply. Instead, she came into the basement. Hamegg followed her!
"So this was your rescue party, huh, Astro?" Hamegg asked calmly.
Zane's eyes widened. "Cora!"
Cora winced. "He saw Rick and Elect. He realized what was going on."
Uran sighed. "We're gonna be here forever, aren't we?"
"You just might." Hamegg told her. "Join your friends, Cora."
Cora walked over to us. She gave me and Uran an "I'm sorry" look.
"I can't believe I bought your act, Cora." Hamegg said. "I must be getting stupid."
Hamegg came down the stairs.
"Now, what should I do with all of you?" Hamegg asked, tapping the side of his face with his free hand. "Should I beat you? Zap you? Kill you?"
Cora and Zane's eyes widened.
"Hamegg, please let them go!" I begged.
"Why should I?" Hamegg asked.
"Because it's the right thing to do." I replied.
"Hmm." Hamegg said, tapping the side of his face again. "Any other reasons?"
I sighed. "Hamegg, how about this: I'll become your servant if you free Uran, Cora, and Zane."
Cora's eyes widened even more. Zane turned to me, surprised.
"What?!" Cora exclaimed.
"But you already agreed to my deal." Hamegg said. "You can't just change it."
"But I originally gave you the deal." I reminded him. "I can just revoke it."
"You can't revoke it if I already agreed to it." Hamegg said.
I thought it over. "You studied law, didn't you?"
"I learned a lot in college." Hamegg told me.
"W-what deal?" Cora asked.
"Astro made a deal with me." Hamegg explained. "If I free Uran, he'll become my personal servant."
Cora turned to me. "You'd do that for your sister?"
"Yes, I would." I replied. "I'd do it for you guys, too."
Zane sighed sadly. "I'm sure you would."
"Aw, how touching." Hamegg said. "Zane and Cora, both of you follow me."
"Why?" Cora asked.
"'Cause I said so." Hamegg replied. "Let's go!"
Cora and Zane went up the stairs. Hamegg followed them. Before he left, he turned to me and Uran.
"Don't move!" He warned. "I still have my electric cattle prod. I'm not afraid to zap Cora and Zane with it if I have to."
My eyes widened.
"You're threatening to electrocute them?" I asked astonished. "You could kill them!"
"Like I don't know that." Hamegg said sarcastically before leaving.
"How cruel is he?" Uran asked.
"Very." I replied.
"Astro?" Uran said.
"Yeah?" I said.
"I'm sorry!" Uran said in a sad voice. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"
"Uran, calm down!" I said. "It'll be okay."
"No, it won't!" Uran cried. "I'm sorry that I was such a rotten sister!"
"It's not your fault." I insisted. "These things happen."
"Not like this!" Uran exclaimed. "Thanks to me, we're gonna be here forever and Zane, Widget, Sludge, and Cora are gonna suffer, too!"
"You weren't a rotten sister." I insisted.
"Yes, I was!" Uran said. "Stop lying to make me feel better!"
"I'm not." I said. "Yes, you were being selfish, but everyone does once in a while. It's not your fault!"
Uran sniffled a little. Strange, she shouldn't be able to cry. As human-like as we are, there are still some things that a human can do that we just can't do, and crying is one of them.
I took her hand, and Uran started to calm down. She looked at me, then squeezed my hand back. I smiled at her. After a while, Uran fell asleep.
Suddenly, I remembered something.
"Now that I think of it, where are Sludge and Widget?" I wondered. "I don't think they were with Hamegg."
Third Person POV:
Meanwhile, Sludge and Widget were still looking for ZOG.
"How did Hamegg find out Cora was tricking him?" Sludge asked.
"I don't know." Widget replied. "Where have you been, anyway?"
"I was hiding near the pile of broken robots." Sludge told her.
"I thought you said you were gonna hide in that old refrigerator." Widget said.
"I did." Sludge said. "I had to find a new hiding spot because the refrigerator was really Mike the Fridge."
Widget raised an eyebrow. "Mike the Fridge? Isn't he a member of the RRF?"
"Yeah." Sludge replied.
"What was he doing there?" Widget asked.
"He told me that he was sent to get something, but he stopped to rest first." Sludge told her.
"Okay." Widget said slowly. "What was he gonna get?"
"I didn't ask." Sludge said.
Widget sighed. "Where is ZOG?"
"I don't know." Sludge said. "Isn't he waiting for us?"
"Yeah." Widget said. "Cora told him to wait until we ask for him."
"Sh-should we call him, then?" Sludge asked.
"I guess so." Widget replied. "ZOG?"
ZOG didn't reply.
"ZOG?" Sludge said, a little louder.
Still nothing.
"ZOG!" Sludge and Widget yelled at the top of their lungs.
"I hope Hamegg didn't hear that." Widget said.
"Probably not." Sludge said. "We're at the other side of the Surface."
"We're that far?" Widget asked.
"Yup." Sludge said. "You think ZOG heard us?"
"I hope so." Widget said. "I hurt my throat yelling that loudly."
"Stop being a baby." Sludge said.
Widget was about to say something, but they heard a voice.
"What's the matter?" Someone asked.
They both turned around and saw ZOG.
"ZOG, Hamegg captured Cora and Zane." Widget told him.
"He did?" ZOG asked. "How?"
"We don't know." Sludge replied. "What should we do?"
ZOG turned in the direction of Hamegg's lair.
"Maybe we could ask the RRF to help." Sludge suggested.
Widget thought about it. "Let's not."
"Why not?" Sludge asked. "Because Astro and Uran are robots, the RRF will probably help us free them. Then, Astro can save Cora and Zane."
"The RRF isn't very helpful." Widget reminded him. "None of their plans have worked."
"Maybe this one could." Sludge said.
Widget raised an eyebrow at him.
"Okay, fine." Sludge said annoyed. "What should we do, then?"
"What did Hamegg do to Astro and Uran?" ZOG asked.
"They tied them up to a pillar." Widget told him.
"With what?" ZOG asked.
"Wire." Widget replied.
"Try using this." ZOG suggested.
He lowered his hand. In the middle of his palm was the syringe that Zane took from the Ministry of Science.
"How's that gonna help?" Sludge asked.
"It may help Astro and Uran slip through the wires." ZOG suggested.
Widget nodded. "It could."
"But how do we get in?" Sludge asked.
"Try sneaking in." ZOG suggested.
Sludge and Widget exchanged a look.
"Yeah, I guess we could do that." Sludge said.
"Need me for anything?" ZOG asked.
"Uh, wait outside Hamegg's lair." Widget suggested. "That way, you can catch Hamegg if he tries to run."
ZOG nodded.
"Let's go!" Sludge said.
Sludge and Widget started to run to Hamegg's lair.
"Forgot something?" ZOG asked.
Sludge and Widget walked back to him.
"What?" Sludge asked.
ZOG lowered his hand, revealing the syringe.
"Oh, yeah." Widget said. "Thanks."
She grabbed the syringe out of ZOG's hand.
"No biggie." ZOG said.
AN: well, that's Chapter 21. Tell me what you think!