(A/N: Did I give you guys a heart attack? Look! *waves hands happily at finished chapter with 'tada'-type enthusiasm* A crazy quick update! Aren't you proud of me?

Anyway, in other news, I'm all moved into college! Annnnd my schedule is freakin' awesome. I have only one class Tuesday's and Thursday's, and it's from 11-12. Done. Whole day free. Obviously, I'll have homework, but my major is literally Writing. I'm going to have so much time to write. I'm going to write so freakin' much. It's going to be fabulous.

Anyway, thank you guys so much for your continued support and wonderful reviews! Hopefully I make your days as much as you make mine. You guys are da best.

Enjoy!)

Cora couldn't quite suppress a smile as her eyes travelled up to finally look at the owner of those glorious boots.

She never thought she'd be so happy to see an activated robot with memories intact. God bless. "Astro," she managed to say, for probably the hundredth time that week. This time, though, she actually got to say it to him.

She saw his eyes flicker down to her worriedly, before snapping back to Heckler with an angry scowl that seemed odd on his careworn face. He was holding the giant, blood speckled hammer in his mighty hand - which was about ready to fall off his body completely. His shoulder was unhinged from his torso by a good sixty degrees, but Astro still managed to heft the hammer up impressively and throw it halfway across the lab. It hit the opposite wall and clattered to the floor with finality.

Astro watched it hit, frowning, before turning back to Heckler with fire blazing in him - literally. Sparks were jumping off of his body like mini firework displays and his eyes skittered from their normal soft brown to an inhuman, glowing blue. It was actually incredibly terrifying.

"I would run if I were you," he rasped.

Heckler stared at Astro in horror for about half a second, a full-grown man with army training cowering before Astro's tiny form, before turning tail and booking it out of there as fast as his stubby legs would take him. His retreat echoed on the tile floor.

Astro smirked, watching him go with a sort of satisfied relief as he cradled his injured arm in his good one, mostly happy about being conscious again. He turned unsteadily to help Cora to her feet, but the girl was already pushing herself up off the ground and throwing her spiky hair back in a ponytail.

"Oh, no, you don't!" she screamed after Heckler, scooping up her fallen, battle-scarred wrench and hefting it over her shoulder with a strength Astro hadn't expected. She wobbled, but planted her feet, eyes blazing. "I get a piece out of you first!"

"Cora, what - " Astro started, but the Surface girl brushed him off. "Shush," she told him, pressing a greased-stained finger to his robot lips and grinning at him. "This'll only take a minute."

And with that, she was sprinting after Heckler with wrench held high over her head, yelling her newfound battle cry.

"Cora! Wait - " Astro tried, but Cora was already out the door and out of sight.

He sighed, chuckling lightly to himself at her impulsiveness. At least she hadn't changed much. That was something. Him on the other hand...

CrrrUNCK. Astro winced as another few parts of him clattered to the ground. He wasn't sure how long he'd been dead - or offline, or whatever. He kept remembering bits and pieces of odd things, flashes of events he didn't exactly think happened, but they were all fuzzy and buzzing, like a damaged video stream. His vision kept going in and out too, tinted blue, and he limped a little bit as he turned around, dreading what was waiting there for him even more than the numbers on the damage analysis he'd probably be getting soon enough.

Toby and his father still lay huddled by the lab table he'd been strapped to, recovering from whatever the heck had happened. Astro didn't really have any idea what, exactly, had happened - both to them and to him - but he didn't really care. He was mostly just thankful he'd been brought back online in time for him to save Cora.

Toby looked tired. Really tired. He held himself in a sort of listless way, with grease all over his hands and hair unwashed and unstyled. He looked older somehow, and much more approachable. He was certainly not the same boy Astro had talked to in his bedroom, that night he'd flown away. That much he could tell.

His Dad leaned awkwardly up against the lab table beside him, looking equally spent and still slowly freeing himself from his wire bindings with the help of Toby, eyes bloodshot and labcoat covered in blood and grime.

They were both eyeing him warily.

Astro's didn't like how they were looking at him, so he looked down to his feet instead, wincing at the state of his boots. He was surprised he could still walk, even as he forced himself to take the painful steps it took to cover the space between him and the lab bench.

When he reached it, he was forced to lean against it too, winded from what he'd just managed to do in his state. He was damaged - bad. Astro couldn't exactly compare it to anything because there was no experience he had to compare it to. Best way he could describe it, he felt like he'd just been beat on by several Peacekeepers at once - which, he supposed, was probably not far from what happened, judging by the assortment of tools that were scattered not far from where he'd woken up.

That hardly seemed to matter right now, though.

An awkward silence had bubbled into existence between the three of them that seemed to stretch for an eternity. A silence in which Toby and his father stared at Astro, and Astro stared at his boots, trying to blink his vision back to normal.

Toby was the one to finally break it. "Um, hey, Astro," he said uncertainly.

Astro managed to shoot him a weak smile. "Hey, Toby," he answered softly, grateful for his small attempt at defusing the situation. It was something.

Then he glanced at his Dad.

Their eyes met for the briefest of seconds. Then Tenma looked away.

Astro's lip quivered. So nothing had changed then. He should have known.

He was about to attempt to hobble away, maybe apologize for any trouble he might have caused and go after Cora, but Toby was obviously not having it. He gave Astro a look that told him to stay put before elbowing Tenma hard in the side. The scientist recoiled, giving him a startled look, like 'what?' Toby simply leveled a fierce glare at him, before jabbing his chin in Astro's direction.

His father chewed on his lower lip nervously, looking extremely uncomfortable before taking a big breath in and meeting Astro's gaze.

"T - Astro," he caught himself, his voice wavering. He fiddled with his empty, cut-up hands, eyes flickering away and then back again spasmodically. "Astro. Look, I'm...I'm sorry. This...this was all my fault. I'm so sorry."

"It's...it's okay, Dad," Astro whispered, the words coming out easily, like it was an automatic response. He tried to smile. He couldn't bring himself to. "It wasn't your fault."

"Yes, it was. Yes, it was!" Tenma wailed, and tears sparked in his eyes as he fell back down in the chair he'd been bound in, burying his face in his hands. "I am such a fool. I was...I was blinded by...by everything. My feelings, my past, the future - none of this should have happened. I - I thought I couldn't have both. That it didn't make any sense having...h-having two of you."

"Dad," Toby huffed, and Astro thought he might have seen him roll his eyes. "You don't have two of us, you know that, right? We're different people." He gestured vaguely to Astro. "Even I can see that and I've only talked to him, like, twice."

Astro gave him another thankful smile for trying to help, but he wasn't sure if it did any good. He'd been here before. And now he was here again. It didn't take a genius or even a robot brain to see the cycle. Acceptance, rejection… Acceptance, rejection… Astro wasn't sure how much more of that he could take.

Looking down at his snivelling Creator, Astro wasn't sure how much more Tenma could take either. It was pretty clear to Astro now that his father always felt pressured to make a choice, even when he himself felt like there didn't have to be one. Toby died? Live in unimaginable grief or build a robot version of him. A choice was made. Robot isn't a carbon copy of Toby and instead insinuates even more grief? Continue charade that robot is Toby, or kick him out. Choice made. Stone wants robot detained and deactivated? Refuse and help his creation escape, or deactivate him. Choice made. And so on and so forth. Astro didn't really want to be just another 'choice' anymore, especially when another choice could trump that choice at any minute.

Maybe...maybe everyone would be better off if he just sort of...removed himself. Not from Metro City, or from Cora, or his friends, or anything. Just...live alone. It might actually be relaxing.

But he couldn't really bring himself to say all that to his Dad. Not right now, anyway, when he was in this state. Maybe later, when he felt the tension again, like he'd felt it both times right before his Dad had rejected him. Right before the bubble was about to burst. Then he'd bail before his father had the chance to hurt him again.

He was mumbling words again, so Astro listened.

"I'm a...a horrible...horrible excuse…for a father…" he was sniffling. Toby gave Astro an 'oh, please' look. Astro kind of agreed, but he didn't find it very funny. "I should have...should hav -

He broke off. A bloodcurdling, piercing scream suddenly sliced through the stale lab air, real and full of pain.

All three of them froze and Astro felt a fresh wave of horror wash over him, seizing hold of his chest with a iron grip.

"Cora," he gasped aloud. He'd forgotten all about Cora.

For a moment, he couldn't bring himself to move.

Then every gear in his body sprang into motion. "CORA!" he screeched as his rocket boots sprang to life and he streaked toward the lab door. Halfway there, his right boot gave out, failing with a sickening KCKCKINCH and billowing dark smoke, throwing him off balance. He recovered though, straining through the door and stumbling out of it, damaged arm still sparking and the Blue Core spazzing with energy that was his equivalent of panic.

Three staggering steps and he turned the corner -

To see Stone standing smack in the middle of the hall, Heckler looming behind him and the fallen wrench lying on the floor at his feet.

The former President smiled coldly at him as he pressed the barrel of his blaster harder against Cora's skull. "Don't move," he growled, finger sliding dangerously against the trigger as he held the quivering girl in a unsteady headlock. "Or - well, take a wild guess."

Astro froze in his tracks, arms held out in front of him in surrender, begging him silently not to hurt her. Toby and Tenma came skidding around just after him, and they froze as well, eyes wide with horror.

Stone simply smirked in a way that was half a smile, half a grimace. "Well, well, well," he drawled, taking a step closer. Cora whimpered and stumbled along with his movement. "The mighty Astro lives again. Not in the best shape, I see."

"Let her go, Stone," Astro demanded, although his voice wavered. His eyes were glued to the blaster.

Stone chuckled cruelly. "Right," he sneered. "Like I'm going to do that."

"Please," Astro begged, his eyebrows knotting. "Please, let her go. It's me you want, not her."

"Wrong," Stone snapped. "I don't want you. I just want you dead so you can't get in my way. And I plan on achieving just that."

He tightened his grip on Cora's neck, and she let out a choking noise that made Astro flinch in fear. "With her," he spat.

Astro felt like the Core had just suddenly run out of juice. No.

Stone just smiled evilly and as Astro watched, he began to stroke Cora's vibrant hair with the end of his gun. "You love her, don't you?" he whispered as he did, while Cora cried out and struggled in his hold. "Or at least, she thinksyou do. She thinks you can feel, doesn't she? She thinks you love her, doesn't she?"

His eyes had grown wild and he began to shake Cora, yelling "DOESN'T SHE?" while Cora screamed in pain.

"Stop!" Astro cried, taking a step forward.

Stone froze immediately, his dark gaze finding Astro's with a mind that was no longer quite there. "Not one step further!" he screeched, and Astro froze again.

"Question…" Stone whispered, like a true crazy. He'd lost it, Astro realized. He'd finally gone off the deep end, with Cora in his grasp. "The question is, robot boy, do you? Do you really feel, little robot? Do you love her? Or is it all just some fancy programming done by Mr. Tenma over there? Huh?"

Astro didn't answer, his eyes locked on Cora. Her eyes were pleading with him, pleading for him to help her.

He took another step forward, but Stone wasn't going to have any of it. He stumbled back and yanked Cora with him. "Fine," he growled, jamming the barrel back against Cora's temple. "Don't answer. Doesn't matter anyway. You have two choices, here, robot. One, you give yourself up to me and take the Blue Core out of yourself, once and for all. If you do that, I'll let the girl go, Tenma will finish the X robot for me, and I will rise to take my rightful place as President of this damned city."

He smiled to himself briefly at the thought, before going back to glowering. "Two," he continued, spittle flying from his mouth. "You refuse, and I shoot this little lady through the head and come take the Core outta you myself. Don't fool yourself into thinking you can beat me. I have enough weaponry at my fingertips that with a click of a button you'll explode into the spare parts you truly are with one shot. Either way, I take this city, so weigh it well, 'bot boy."

Astro wavered, Stone's conditions zooming through his robot mind, analyzing them, and already leaning toward the option he could reconcile himself with when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to find his Dad, leaning in to him with heavy grief in his eyes.

"Astro," he whispered, a sense of urgency in his voice that Astro hadn't expected. "Astro, you can't let her die. That's...that's what you were going to say to me when I turned you off, wasn't it? 'Tell Cora.' Tell her...tell her that you love her."

Astro's eyes widened, shocked that he'd remembered. "Yes," he breathed. "Yes, it was."

Tenma's face turned steely. "Then do it," he told him. "Toby and I will find a way to stop him. Do what you need to do. And Astro?"

Astro swallowed hard. "What?"

Tenma swallowed too. "Just know...just know that I love you."

Astro's eyes widened. There it was again. Those words that had left his lips countless times and Astro had believed them every time, only for them to turn into a lie...every time.

They could be a lie this time, too. In fact, they probably were. But Astro just couldn't bring himself not to hope that there was truth in them. "You...you mean it?" he asked.

Tenma exhaled slowly. "Yes," he whimpered, and for once, Astro felt like he could believe it.

He smiled. "I love you too, Dad," he whispered, even as he began to turn back around, his fingers tracing the edge of his chest hatch.

Stone was glowering at him, impatient and near trigger happy. His pointer finger was all but stroking the blasters handle. "Well?" he spat.

Astro took a step forward. "I think I'm going to have to go with option one," he declared, and he looked at Cora before he could see Stone's sickening grin. "No!" Cora screeched, but Astro had already pressed and pried the hatch open.

He didn't even look down to see it spinning within him. He kept his eyes fixed on Cora.

"You know…" he breathed, and there was a hint of a laugh in it. "I've died so many times now, and each time I thought it would be my last...that I've fulfilled it. The true purpose of my creation. I guess not."

His fingers wrapped around the orb. He could feel it pulsing in his palm.

"Get on with it!" Stone growled, but Astro ignored him.

"This time though…" he whispered. "This time just feels...right."

His gaze fell on Stone, hard and steely. "You asked me if I love her," he rasped. "Actually love her."

His eyes fell back on Cora and he shot her a genuine, toothy smile with all the strength he still had left in his battered body. "I think you know the answer," he said. "But I'm happy to finally say it out loud. It's the last words I always wanted to have. Cora…"

FWUSHUNK. With a mighty yank of his hand, Astro ripped the Core out of his chest with a flash of blue lightning and let it fall from his weakening fingers to the floor.

"I love...you," he managed, just as the last surge of cosmic blue energy coursed through his damaged body and petered out. And with that, his eyes fluttered close and he crumbled.

He was still smiling when he hit the ground.

(A/N: I'm not sorry. I'm really, really not.)