Chip's Secret
And A New Bottie
"Chip! Chip? Chip!" Cried a distant voice. The bright ten year old jerked awake. "Yea?" He asked. Confusion flickered across Abby's face for a moment before returning to the smile she usually wore. "Are you okay? You look a little pale."She asked. Chip shook his head at it. "I'm just a little tired that's all."He said. "If you are tired, you should go home and rest."Dianostix said helpfully. He was a robot. A robot that could think and have emotions independantly. Free at his own will. He was one of lots of robots here. In Bubble Town, there was as many robots as there were people! Hela, the owner of the Botties Pit, walked over, a concerned expression on her face. "Chip? I think you should go home. If your sick, you won't be able to do the things you want to do at your full potential."She explained. "It's okay. I'm okay."He protested.
Suddenly, Connor burst in the room, startling everyone as Cubix, his robot companion, pounded in the room behind him. "Hey guys! Guess what!"He cried. "What? Your dad got some new robots?" Mong asked from across the room. Connors' Dad, Graham wasn't too fond of robots. "No. Even better, my dad is taking us camping! He said we could all go! It's by my old house! And it gets better! My cousin is moving into town! Today! She's kinda different though..."Connor trailed, suddenly sober from excitement. "Conner? What do you mean by 'different'?"Dondon, Abby's robot inquired. Before he could reply, a voice called out. "Connor! Connor! I'm here!" All heads turned to the corner, where a girl could be seen hurring to them. She was in a wheelchair, and metal braces on her legs and in her her mouth. "Try not to stare."Connor whispered as his cousin caught up. "Hey! It's been a while!"the girl giggled. Her sapphire blue eyed gaze travled from all humans to robots in the room. "Who're your friends? Nice robots though!"She grinned. "Uhhh guys. This is my cousin, Kassie Anne Kain. She likes robots...alot."Connor introduced her. "Oh! So these are your friends in the letters you told me about!"Kassie giggled. Her bubbly personality rubbed off on just about everyone. After everyone was introduced, well, everyone but Mong, up came the questions of robots. "Ummm....Hela? I was wondering, is there anyway I could get a job here? I would do anything! I love robots and I think there the coolest things in the world! Connor sent me a letter about Cubix and I think that it's out of this world how it happened!"Kassie Anne cried. "Well....there is an ination you have to pass."Hela explained. "I don't care! What is it?"She asked. "You have to fix one of these robots in twenty-four hours. If you do, you can work here."Hela answered with a kind gaze over her glasses to her. Suddenly, Chip broke the silence with a cough that sounded like it hurt. "Chip. I really think you should go home and rest. You don't want to be sick when you go camping."Hela said again. Chip shook his head and rubbed his eyes from behind his glasses. "I'm okay. Really."He said. "Hey! I never caught you name."Kassie said suddenly to Mong. Wheeling over, she asked, "so...what is it?". "M-Mong."He stammered. 'Why am I stammering like this?' He thought angrily. Smiling, she reached out and shook his hand. "Nice to fianally meet you."She said to him. Grinning she backed away and said to Hela, "I can fix any of these robots?"She asked gesturing to the heap in the back. "Any one you want."Hela smiled. "Can I start now?"She asked hopefully. Hela shrugged, "why don't you first find one.". Wheeling over, she searched through the heap with her eyes. She suddenly jumped as she apparently found one. Pausing she called, "hey Con! Can you give me a hand?" She called. Connor walked over and she pointed to a robot in the heap. After a breif amount of pulling and pushing they emerged slightly in the light with a large robot. It was about as tall and looked like Cubix. Only it was blue with bubbles at it's joints. It had a metal bubble for it's chest and a face like Cubix too. "This one." She said. "That one? It has a circut box like Cubix's it's hard to fix it. It's a Bubblix. It's alot like Cubix."Abby pointed out. "Naw. No worse then the one I'm workin on at home."Kassie said. Abby stared. "Your building your own robot? You have to be pretty good with machinery to do that.". Giggling Kassie replied, "Connor has to help me. But it's mainly just to help me get around."She smiled. Reaching behind her she was inturrupted by Chip's heavy coughing. Pausing she smiled. "Why don't you start tomorrow?"Hela improvised. Nodding she said, "that sounds good.". "I live by Chip so I'm gonna follow him home. I live across the street."She grinned. "Bye Kassie. Tell Aunt Lannie I said hi."Connor said. As they broke apart, Dondon and Abby went home with Connor and Cubix. Mong went home with Maximix. Hela remained at the shop. And Chip, Cerbrix, and Kassie left to go their ways.
"So. Chip, are you excited about my uncle's camping trip?"Kassie asked. "I don't know. I've never really been out of Bubble Town so I've never been camping."Chip replied. Sighing, Kassie looked to him. "Your a little worried about this whole thing aren't you?"She asked. "I guess a little. But I've got Cerebrix here to help me."Chip said to her. Kassie looked behind her to Cerebrix. "How long have you and Chip been friends?" She asked the robot. "If my memory banks serves me right, about four years."The inquisistve robot answered Kassie. Giggling, she allowed her brown braids to fall in her eyes. "Chip? May I ask you a question?"Kassie asked softly. "Sure. I don't see why not."Chip replied to her. "What's it like being able to walk...with out help? I mean I know it's kind of a stupid question, but I wanted to get another point of view." she asked him. Chip looked across to her. "You mean you've spent your whole life in that wheelchair?"Chip asked, slightly awestruck. "I can walk...just not very well. And it's not just a wheelchair. It's a hoverchair. Like your scooters. Only it looks a wheelchair."Kassie explained. Chip cocked an eyebrow. Sighing, Kassie shook her head. Pressing a button on her chair, her handles came out and supported her as her wheels detached themselves to the circular spot underneath the seat of her chair. The solid leg guard protected her legs. A motor in her chair began to whir as the wheels bolted themselves in the circular spot under her chair. The wheels began to spin in opposite directons, allowing her to hover around three feet off the sidewalk. Out of the wheelchair handles, popped a joystick with a small guage on it. Chip was amazed. "Connor helped me do this. It's kinda better than wheeling myself around all the time."Kassie smiled.
Suddenly, a pain burst in Chip's head, making him stumble. He coughed again, sharping the pain instantly. He stumbled again and fell in Cerebrix's arms. "Chip! Are you alright?! Chip?!"Kassie cried urgently. Chip fell to his knees, coughing wildly. "Cerebrix! What's wrong with him?!"Kassie yelled to the robot. The robot's temperature sensing eyes scanned Chip's body heat and he gasped. "His temperature is rising very quickly!"The robot cried. Kassie inhaled sharply. "Cerebrix! Do you have a video mail stystem?!"Kassie inquired quickly. To her horror the robot said, "No. I am only an information robot. I have no outer communications.". "We're still close to the shop. Let's go."Kassie said firmly. Moving the button on the gauge down, she hovered to Cerebrix's height. Taking Chip in her lap, she moved the joystick foreward and she moved foreward quickly.
It was around eight thirty when they reached the Botties Pit. Kassie bolted in the garage where Hela was making some repairs on Fixit. "Kassie! What are you-?"She was cut off when she saw Chip on her lap. "He's sick! I don't know what happened!"Kassie cried. As Hela took Chip from her she gasped as her hand felt his forehead. "Oh no...I knew this would happen. I knew it."Hela whispered to herself as her eyes widended. "What do you mean 'you knew this would happen'?"Kassie asked. Hela looked up at her. "You don't...know?"She asked. Kassie shook her head. "Chip...Chip is...well...more prone to getting sick than other kids. He has a weaker immune stystem than that of a normal kid. And when he does get sick...it's bad."Hela explained. Kassie gasped. "I'm going to make a few phone calls to the nearest hosptials and try to get a hold of his parents. To pass the time, why don't you begin on your robot. You need the time."Hela said as she had Dianostix clear off the repair table. Hela reached under the table and pulled out her jacket. Laying Chip down, she pillowed his head with it. "Here. Use mine too."Kassie said as she removed her denim jacket. "Thanks."Hela said as she covered Chips body with it. 'He looks so small, weak.' Kassie thought as Hela walked into her office and breifly said to Dianostix, "watch him and tell me if anything changes.". Kassie sighed as she hovered up and turned on the light above her soon-to-be robot. Suddenly, Connor, Cubix, Abby, a sleeping Dondon, Mong, and Maximix ran into the room. They were breifly shocked when they saw Connor's cousin hovering but what shocked them more was Chip. "Kassie, we called your house, but you weren't home, so we tried Chip and he wasn't home either, what happened?"Connor asked.
Kassie, who had been worried crazy, broke down crying. Connor, being her cousin, came foreward, and tried to comfort her. "Kassie what happened?"He asked again slowly. All they got was, 'Chip,' and 'really sick,' and 'I didn't know,'. Connor gasped. He knew that Chip was more prone to getting sick more than other kids, but not like this! "Kassie? Would you like to work on your robot?"Connor asked. Kassie looked up and smiled. "I don't know why I'm crying."She fianally said. Diagnostix came up from behing and asked, "shall we be of service then?". Kassie nodded. Hovering over, she circled the robot, sizing it up. Moving down she examined it's circuts. To everyone's suprise, she pulled out a buckle and buckled in. And flipped upside down. "Does, anyone have a light? It's kinda dark back here."She remarked. Diagnostix came up from behind her and powered up his lights. Kassie blinked as she joked to lighten the mood, "okay...now that I'm blinded, I'm gonna fix this bucket-o-bolts!". Fumbling around she melded a few circuts. About an six hours passed as she hurried to fix her robot. She welded, screwed, plugged and rearranged circuts. "Done!" She cried triumpantly. But before she could even begin the word, everyone heard something from outside. Arching an eyebrow, Kassie flipped right-side up from her place. Hovering outside, she stared outside into the darkness.
"Connor, does anyone you know have a very tall, very dark, very scary robot?"Kassie asked. "No. Why?"He replied. "Cause' there's one out here that looks real mad and it's coming this way!"Kassie shreiked. Hurring, she rapidly charged up her chair and zoomed outside. The rest of the group realized that it was Dr. K with Kollasal. Kassie gasped as she raised herself the Dr. K's height. "What, do you think your doing here?!" He asked her coldly. "Your here to do something you shouldn't!" Kassie shot back. Glaring she spit in his face. "Kollasal! Get this petualnt little brat and crush her into oblivian!"He damanded as he wiped his face. "Kollasal.....CRUSH!"The black robot rumbled and plucked Kassie out of her wheelchair and into his grasp.
Meanwhile, inside, Chip awoke with a slight groan. His blurry vision saw Abby hovering over him worriedly. He was aware of something cool on his forehead. "Abby? What happened?"He muttered. "Your sick, Chip."She explained. Hela ran out at the sound of a scream and cried, "what is it? The telephone lines just went dead!". Suddenly, Kassie's peircing scream echoed in everyone's ears. Everyone, minus Abby and Chip, ran out, robots at their heels. In the darkness, Connor could see his cousin struggling in Kollasal's ironlike grip. "Crush her!" Dr. K ordered. Tightening his grip, Kassie began to choke and her struggles became less and less. "Cubix! Save Kass!"Connor cried, he was close to crying, but he wouldn't let himself feel weak. "Save...Kass!"Cubix parroted. Jumping up, he tried to free Kassie. With bleary eyes, Kassie saw his struggles. Just before loosing consiousness, she cried as loud as a thirteen year old could, "Bubblix!".
Somewhere in the depths of the robot's mind, Bubblix heard his friends plea. His circuts charged up. "Bubblix...ONLINE!"He cried in a voice exactaily like Cubix's. Charging outside, he regognized Kassie in the robot's grip. Hela gasped. "Bubblix is....online?"She whispered to noone in particular. The robot flew up next to Cubix and helped to pry Kassie from Kollasal's grip. His sensors picked up something that sent waves of horror through his emotional prossing unit: no vital sings, what so ever. Out of his chest emerged a small mask that wrapped itself around Kassie's mouth and nose. "Bubblix is trying to get Kassie to breath!"Mong fianally realized. Over the roar, they all heard the reassuring sound of Kassie's coughing. Bubblix firmly tucked her in his grasp, only to be caught in a headlock, in Kollasals' thick arms.
While inside, Chip only heard the battle raging outside. Seeing Abby's back was turned, he weakly got up, and pulled himself out the door quietly. Abby turned around with a damp cloth for Chips head, and saw no Chip. Her eyes widerened as she looked outside and saw Chip, as weak as he was, pulling himself along the shadows of the wall, with some old Letrix cables. She knew not to cry out his name, not to give away his plan, but she gasped. The young boy, with a determined look in his eyes, firmly hooked up the cables to an electrical socket. What he didn't realize, was that, as soon as he hooked the cables up to Kollasal, he, and anything that was in his grasp, or holding the cables, would be shocked too. He slowly hooked to cables to Kollasal's ankles. Abby gasped, and she knew she had to call out his name. To warn him some how. "CHIP NO!"She shreiked. But at that exact moment, he threw the switch. The effect of it all was almost instant. Both, Chip, and Kassie screamed as the electricity coursed through them. Kassies' metal leg braces only made the pain worse the conduction of the electricity was going to kill her legs. But it was drawing the electricticy away from her mouth from her braces. Kollasal, Cubix and Bubblix both reared off, and Bubblix watched in horror as he saw that Kassie was in danger. Both children convulsed wildly as the electricity ran through them. They couldn't breath. They couldn't speak. They couldn't think. All they could feel was the pain. Terrible...ripping...pain.
Hela, sprinting as fast as she could, ran to the circut breaker and turned off all the power. Both of the children fell to the ground as Dr. K made his hasty escape. Kassie seemed fine, despite the sparking braces but there was something odd about Chip. Hela gasped as she realized that the youth was hardly breathing. Picking him up she ran him inside. Bubblix picked up Kassie and cradled her close to him and the robot walked inside. On his robotical eyes, he had his sad face on. Connor, did something that noone had really ever seen him do. He cried. He cried hard. He didn't know what else to do. Abby put a comforting hand on his shoulder and he accepted her comfort. Mong walked inside just as Connors dad in his car zoomed up. "Connor!" Graham cried. "Connor!". Connor heard the voice and ran to his dad. His father caught him and held him close. "Connor...what happened?"He asked. "Dr. K came and Kassie...Kassie tried to get him to go away. Chip got really sick and he hooked up some Letrix cables to his robot and...and he and Kassie both got shocked!"Connor cried. The two ran inside to where Diagnoxtix was tending to Chips burns and Bubblix was sitting over Kassie. Hela looked at Chip. His pale face was badly burned and bleeding. His blue glasses cracked and his black hair singed. Kassie's braces were still sparking slightly and her legs, thanks to the braces there, were burned, and bleeding. She was coughing blood like mad, and Chip had already lost alot. "Hela? What happened here?"Graham asked her. Hela looked up, her brown eyes shining with fear, and worry as well. She explained everything up to that moment. He looked at her and then his gaze traveled to the seeming comatose figures on the table. Walking up to Chip, he muttered something under his breath that sounded like a string of curses. "He attacks kids like this?"He asked Hela. "Not really. He attackes the robots that are infected with Soleix. They just try to help the robots from being taken away. This was just a misjudement on Chips part and Kassie was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."Hela sighed. Nodding, Graham ran his hand through Connors already tousled hair. "Connor, I'm gonna take you and your friends home. Back to the house and you'll stay there. I want to go and have a talk to this Dr. K guy.". Connor went to argue, but one strong look from his father silenced him. "But what about Chip and Kassie? We can't just leave them here." Connor said to his father. "Then we'll have to take them with us back to the house." He replied. He looked at Hela, "we can move them...right?"He asked. Hela looked at the two. "We could, but we'd have to do it gently. We don't want to risk either of them getting hurt."she sighed. Nodding, he picked Kassie carefully up in his arms, Hela gently picked up Chip and they walked out to the car.
"Connor, I don't want you leaving the house at all while I'm gone, understand?"Graham asked firmly as he slowly lowered Kassie in the back seat. Then he quickly turned around to open the other door for Hela to sit as she held a still unconsious Chip in her lap and then he closed the door. "Do you understand me, Connor? I need you to be an adult here for me."He repeated again as he grabbed his keys and looked at him. Connor nodded stiffly and he turned to Cubix and Bubblix. Abby mounted her scooter and Dondon sat behind her, Mong sat on Maximix but Connor looked at Cerebrix. He looked extremly upset, if the little robot was able too, he figured that he would be crying. Cubix turned into a scooter and Connor walked over, "come on guys, Cerebrix, climb on." But the little robot made no move to. Mong got off of Maximix and picked him up with little effort and placed him gently on Cubix. Bubblix changed into a scooter and revved his engine slightly. "Connor, show the way to the house, the spare key is under the mat and there's plenty of food in the fridge. Do not, I repeat DO NOT answer the phone, answer the door and lock all the windows and doors. Keep your window closed and double locked and stay in the living room."Graham said as the other kids nodded mutely.
In short order, they arrived at the house, Hela allowed herself to be led to the door as she held Chip. Graham unlocked the door and then ran back to the car to retrive Kassie. Walking in the living room, The two adults laid the children on the sofa and the robots looked around anxiously. Graham hugged Connor tightly goodbye then walked out the door.
"Does anyone want anything to drink?" Connor asked. Hela smiled, "don't worry, Connor. I'll watch you guys.". Connor sat down on the couch next to his comatose like cousin. As soon as he made a move to her, Abby gasped. "Chip!? CHIP!"She shreiked. Chip's pale face had gone blue, his skin cool to the touch. He had stopped breathing.
To be continued....
And A New Bottie
"Chip! Chip? Chip!" Cried a distant voice. The bright ten year old jerked awake. "Yea?" He asked. Confusion flickered across Abby's face for a moment before returning to the smile she usually wore. "Are you okay? You look a little pale."She asked. Chip shook his head at it. "I'm just a little tired that's all."He said. "If you are tired, you should go home and rest."Dianostix said helpfully. He was a robot. A robot that could think and have emotions independantly. Free at his own will. He was one of lots of robots here. In Bubble Town, there was as many robots as there were people! Hela, the owner of the Botties Pit, walked over, a concerned expression on her face. "Chip? I think you should go home. If your sick, you won't be able to do the things you want to do at your full potential."She explained. "It's okay. I'm okay."He protested.
Suddenly, Connor burst in the room, startling everyone as Cubix, his robot companion, pounded in the room behind him. "Hey guys! Guess what!"He cried. "What? Your dad got some new robots?" Mong asked from across the room. Connors' Dad, Graham wasn't too fond of robots. "No. Even better, my dad is taking us camping! He said we could all go! It's by my old house! And it gets better! My cousin is moving into town! Today! She's kinda different though..."Connor trailed, suddenly sober from excitement. "Conner? What do you mean by 'different'?"Dondon, Abby's robot inquired. Before he could reply, a voice called out. "Connor! Connor! I'm here!" All heads turned to the corner, where a girl could be seen hurring to them. She was in a wheelchair, and metal braces on her legs and in her her mouth. "Try not to stare."Connor whispered as his cousin caught up. "Hey! It's been a while!"the girl giggled. Her sapphire blue eyed gaze travled from all humans to robots in the room. "Who're your friends? Nice robots though!"She grinned. "Uhhh guys. This is my cousin, Kassie Anne Kain. She likes robots...alot."Connor introduced her. "Oh! So these are your friends in the letters you told me about!"Kassie giggled. Her bubbly personality rubbed off on just about everyone. After everyone was introduced, well, everyone but Mong, up came the questions of robots. "Ummm....Hela? I was wondering, is there anyway I could get a job here? I would do anything! I love robots and I think there the coolest things in the world! Connor sent me a letter about Cubix and I think that it's out of this world how it happened!"Kassie Anne cried. "Well....there is an ination you have to pass."Hela explained. "I don't care! What is it?"She asked. "You have to fix one of these robots in twenty-four hours. If you do, you can work here."Hela answered with a kind gaze over her glasses to her. Suddenly, Chip broke the silence with a cough that sounded like it hurt. "Chip. I really think you should go home and rest. You don't want to be sick when you go camping."Hela said again. Chip shook his head and rubbed his eyes from behind his glasses. "I'm okay. Really."He said. "Hey! I never caught you name."Kassie said suddenly to Mong. Wheeling over, she asked, "so...what is it?". "M-Mong."He stammered. 'Why am I stammering like this?' He thought angrily. Smiling, she reached out and shook his hand. "Nice to fianally meet you."She said to him. Grinning she backed away and said to Hela, "I can fix any of these robots?"She asked gesturing to the heap in the back. "Any one you want."Hela smiled. "Can I start now?"She asked hopefully. Hela shrugged, "why don't you first find one.". Wheeling over, she searched through the heap with her eyes. She suddenly jumped as she apparently found one. Pausing she called, "hey Con! Can you give me a hand?" She called. Connor walked over and she pointed to a robot in the heap. After a breif amount of pulling and pushing they emerged slightly in the light with a large robot. It was about as tall and looked like Cubix. Only it was blue with bubbles at it's joints. It had a metal bubble for it's chest and a face like Cubix too. "This one." She said. "That one? It has a circut box like Cubix's it's hard to fix it. It's a Bubblix. It's alot like Cubix."Abby pointed out. "Naw. No worse then the one I'm workin on at home."Kassie said. Abby stared. "Your building your own robot? You have to be pretty good with machinery to do that.". Giggling Kassie replied, "Connor has to help me. But it's mainly just to help me get around."She smiled. Reaching behind her she was inturrupted by Chip's heavy coughing. Pausing she smiled. "Why don't you start tomorrow?"Hela improvised. Nodding she said, "that sounds good.". "I live by Chip so I'm gonna follow him home. I live across the street."She grinned. "Bye Kassie. Tell Aunt Lannie I said hi."Connor said. As they broke apart, Dondon and Abby went home with Connor and Cubix. Mong went home with Maximix. Hela remained at the shop. And Chip, Cerbrix, and Kassie left to go their ways.
"So. Chip, are you excited about my uncle's camping trip?"Kassie asked. "I don't know. I've never really been out of Bubble Town so I've never been camping."Chip replied. Sighing, Kassie looked to him. "Your a little worried about this whole thing aren't you?"She asked. "I guess a little. But I've got Cerebrix here to help me."Chip said to her. Kassie looked behind her to Cerebrix. "How long have you and Chip been friends?" She asked the robot. "If my memory banks serves me right, about four years."The inquisistve robot answered Kassie. Giggling, she allowed her brown braids to fall in her eyes. "Chip? May I ask you a question?"Kassie asked softly. "Sure. I don't see why not."Chip replied to her. "What's it like being able to walk...with out help? I mean I know it's kind of a stupid question, but I wanted to get another point of view." she asked him. Chip looked across to her. "You mean you've spent your whole life in that wheelchair?"Chip asked, slightly awestruck. "I can walk...just not very well. And it's not just a wheelchair. It's a hoverchair. Like your scooters. Only it looks a wheelchair."Kassie explained. Chip cocked an eyebrow. Sighing, Kassie shook her head. Pressing a button on her chair, her handles came out and supported her as her wheels detached themselves to the circular spot underneath the seat of her chair. The solid leg guard protected her legs. A motor in her chair began to whir as the wheels bolted themselves in the circular spot under her chair. The wheels began to spin in opposite directons, allowing her to hover around three feet off the sidewalk. Out of the wheelchair handles, popped a joystick with a small guage on it. Chip was amazed. "Connor helped me do this. It's kinda better than wheeling myself around all the time."Kassie smiled.
Suddenly, a pain burst in Chip's head, making him stumble. He coughed again, sharping the pain instantly. He stumbled again and fell in Cerebrix's arms. "Chip! Are you alright?! Chip?!"Kassie cried urgently. Chip fell to his knees, coughing wildly. "Cerebrix! What's wrong with him?!"Kassie yelled to the robot. The robot's temperature sensing eyes scanned Chip's body heat and he gasped. "His temperature is rising very quickly!"The robot cried. Kassie inhaled sharply. "Cerebrix! Do you have a video mail stystem?!"Kassie inquired quickly. To her horror the robot said, "No. I am only an information robot. I have no outer communications.". "We're still close to the shop. Let's go."Kassie said firmly. Moving the button on the gauge down, she hovered to Cerebrix's height. Taking Chip in her lap, she moved the joystick foreward and she moved foreward quickly.
It was around eight thirty when they reached the Botties Pit. Kassie bolted in the garage where Hela was making some repairs on Fixit. "Kassie! What are you-?"She was cut off when she saw Chip on her lap. "He's sick! I don't know what happened!"Kassie cried. As Hela took Chip from her she gasped as her hand felt his forehead. "Oh no...I knew this would happen. I knew it."Hela whispered to herself as her eyes widended. "What do you mean 'you knew this would happen'?"Kassie asked. Hela looked up at her. "You don't...know?"She asked. Kassie shook her head. "Chip...Chip is...well...more prone to getting sick than other kids. He has a weaker immune stystem than that of a normal kid. And when he does get sick...it's bad."Hela explained. Kassie gasped. "I'm going to make a few phone calls to the nearest hosptials and try to get a hold of his parents. To pass the time, why don't you begin on your robot. You need the time."Hela said as she had Dianostix clear off the repair table. Hela reached under the table and pulled out her jacket. Laying Chip down, she pillowed his head with it. "Here. Use mine too."Kassie said as she removed her denim jacket. "Thanks."Hela said as she covered Chips body with it. 'He looks so small, weak.' Kassie thought as Hela walked into her office and breifly said to Dianostix, "watch him and tell me if anything changes.". Kassie sighed as she hovered up and turned on the light above her soon-to-be robot. Suddenly, Connor, Cubix, Abby, a sleeping Dondon, Mong, and Maximix ran into the room. They were breifly shocked when they saw Connor's cousin hovering but what shocked them more was Chip. "Kassie, we called your house, but you weren't home, so we tried Chip and he wasn't home either, what happened?"Connor asked.
Kassie, who had been worried crazy, broke down crying. Connor, being her cousin, came foreward, and tried to comfort her. "Kassie what happened?"He asked again slowly. All they got was, 'Chip,' and 'really sick,' and 'I didn't know,'. Connor gasped. He knew that Chip was more prone to getting sick more than other kids, but not like this! "Kassie? Would you like to work on your robot?"Connor asked. Kassie looked up and smiled. "I don't know why I'm crying."She fianally said. Diagnostix came up from behing and asked, "shall we be of service then?". Kassie nodded. Hovering over, she circled the robot, sizing it up. Moving down she examined it's circuts. To everyone's suprise, she pulled out a buckle and buckled in. And flipped upside down. "Does, anyone have a light? It's kinda dark back here."She remarked. Diagnostix came up from behind her and powered up his lights. Kassie blinked as she joked to lighten the mood, "okay...now that I'm blinded, I'm gonna fix this bucket-o-bolts!". Fumbling around she melded a few circuts. About an six hours passed as she hurried to fix her robot. She welded, screwed, plugged and rearranged circuts. "Done!" She cried triumpantly. But before she could even begin the word, everyone heard something from outside. Arching an eyebrow, Kassie flipped right-side up from her place. Hovering outside, she stared outside into the darkness.
"Connor, does anyone you know have a very tall, very dark, very scary robot?"Kassie asked. "No. Why?"He replied. "Cause' there's one out here that looks real mad and it's coming this way!"Kassie shreiked. Hurring, she rapidly charged up her chair and zoomed outside. The rest of the group realized that it was Dr. K with Kollasal. Kassie gasped as she raised herself the Dr. K's height. "What, do you think your doing here?!" He asked her coldly. "Your here to do something you shouldn't!" Kassie shot back. Glaring she spit in his face. "Kollasal! Get this petualnt little brat and crush her into oblivian!"He damanded as he wiped his face. "Kollasal.....CRUSH!"The black robot rumbled and plucked Kassie out of her wheelchair and into his grasp.
Meanwhile, inside, Chip awoke with a slight groan. His blurry vision saw Abby hovering over him worriedly. He was aware of something cool on his forehead. "Abby? What happened?"He muttered. "Your sick, Chip."She explained. Hela ran out at the sound of a scream and cried, "what is it? The telephone lines just went dead!". Suddenly, Kassie's peircing scream echoed in everyone's ears. Everyone, minus Abby and Chip, ran out, robots at their heels. In the darkness, Connor could see his cousin struggling in Kollasal's ironlike grip. "Crush her!" Dr. K ordered. Tightening his grip, Kassie began to choke and her struggles became less and less. "Cubix! Save Kass!"Connor cried, he was close to crying, but he wouldn't let himself feel weak. "Save...Kass!"Cubix parroted. Jumping up, he tried to free Kassie. With bleary eyes, Kassie saw his struggles. Just before loosing consiousness, she cried as loud as a thirteen year old could, "Bubblix!".
Somewhere in the depths of the robot's mind, Bubblix heard his friends plea. His circuts charged up. "Bubblix...ONLINE!"He cried in a voice exactaily like Cubix's. Charging outside, he regognized Kassie in the robot's grip. Hela gasped. "Bubblix is....online?"She whispered to noone in particular. The robot flew up next to Cubix and helped to pry Kassie from Kollasal's grip. His sensors picked up something that sent waves of horror through his emotional prossing unit: no vital sings, what so ever. Out of his chest emerged a small mask that wrapped itself around Kassie's mouth and nose. "Bubblix is trying to get Kassie to breath!"Mong fianally realized. Over the roar, they all heard the reassuring sound of Kassie's coughing. Bubblix firmly tucked her in his grasp, only to be caught in a headlock, in Kollasals' thick arms.
While inside, Chip only heard the battle raging outside. Seeing Abby's back was turned, he weakly got up, and pulled himself out the door quietly. Abby turned around with a damp cloth for Chips head, and saw no Chip. Her eyes widerened as she looked outside and saw Chip, as weak as he was, pulling himself along the shadows of the wall, with some old Letrix cables. She knew not to cry out his name, not to give away his plan, but she gasped. The young boy, with a determined look in his eyes, firmly hooked up the cables to an electrical socket. What he didn't realize, was that, as soon as he hooked the cables up to Kollasal, he, and anything that was in his grasp, or holding the cables, would be shocked too. He slowly hooked to cables to Kollasal's ankles. Abby gasped, and she knew she had to call out his name. To warn him some how. "CHIP NO!"She shreiked. But at that exact moment, he threw the switch. The effect of it all was almost instant. Both, Chip, and Kassie screamed as the electricity coursed through them. Kassies' metal leg braces only made the pain worse the conduction of the electricity was going to kill her legs. But it was drawing the electricticy away from her mouth from her braces. Kollasal, Cubix and Bubblix both reared off, and Bubblix watched in horror as he saw that Kassie was in danger. Both children convulsed wildly as the electricity ran through them. They couldn't breath. They couldn't speak. They couldn't think. All they could feel was the pain. Terrible...ripping...pain.
Hela, sprinting as fast as she could, ran to the circut breaker and turned off all the power. Both of the children fell to the ground as Dr. K made his hasty escape. Kassie seemed fine, despite the sparking braces but there was something odd about Chip. Hela gasped as she realized that the youth was hardly breathing. Picking him up she ran him inside. Bubblix picked up Kassie and cradled her close to him and the robot walked inside. On his robotical eyes, he had his sad face on. Connor, did something that noone had really ever seen him do. He cried. He cried hard. He didn't know what else to do. Abby put a comforting hand on his shoulder and he accepted her comfort. Mong walked inside just as Connors dad in his car zoomed up. "Connor!" Graham cried. "Connor!". Connor heard the voice and ran to his dad. His father caught him and held him close. "Connor...what happened?"He asked. "Dr. K came and Kassie...Kassie tried to get him to go away. Chip got really sick and he hooked up some Letrix cables to his robot and...and he and Kassie both got shocked!"Connor cried. The two ran inside to where Diagnoxtix was tending to Chips burns and Bubblix was sitting over Kassie. Hela looked at Chip. His pale face was badly burned and bleeding. His blue glasses cracked and his black hair singed. Kassie's braces were still sparking slightly and her legs, thanks to the braces there, were burned, and bleeding. She was coughing blood like mad, and Chip had already lost alot. "Hela? What happened here?"Graham asked her. Hela looked up, her brown eyes shining with fear, and worry as well. She explained everything up to that moment. He looked at her and then his gaze traveled to the seeming comatose figures on the table. Walking up to Chip, he muttered something under his breath that sounded like a string of curses. "He attacks kids like this?"He asked Hela. "Not really. He attackes the robots that are infected with Soleix. They just try to help the robots from being taken away. This was just a misjudement on Chips part and Kassie was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."Hela sighed. Nodding, Graham ran his hand through Connors already tousled hair. "Connor, I'm gonna take you and your friends home. Back to the house and you'll stay there. I want to go and have a talk to this Dr. K guy.". Connor went to argue, but one strong look from his father silenced him. "But what about Chip and Kassie? We can't just leave them here." Connor said to his father. "Then we'll have to take them with us back to the house." He replied. He looked at Hela, "we can move them...right?"He asked. Hela looked at the two. "We could, but we'd have to do it gently. We don't want to risk either of them getting hurt."she sighed. Nodding, he picked Kassie carefully up in his arms, Hela gently picked up Chip and they walked out to the car.
"Connor, I don't want you leaving the house at all while I'm gone, understand?"Graham asked firmly as he slowly lowered Kassie in the back seat. Then he quickly turned around to open the other door for Hela to sit as she held a still unconsious Chip in her lap and then he closed the door. "Do you understand me, Connor? I need you to be an adult here for me."He repeated again as he grabbed his keys and looked at him. Connor nodded stiffly and he turned to Cubix and Bubblix. Abby mounted her scooter and Dondon sat behind her, Mong sat on Maximix but Connor looked at Cerebrix. He looked extremly upset, if the little robot was able too, he figured that he would be crying. Cubix turned into a scooter and Connor walked over, "come on guys, Cerebrix, climb on." But the little robot made no move to. Mong got off of Maximix and picked him up with little effort and placed him gently on Cubix. Bubblix changed into a scooter and revved his engine slightly. "Connor, show the way to the house, the spare key is under the mat and there's plenty of food in the fridge. Do not, I repeat DO NOT answer the phone, answer the door and lock all the windows and doors. Keep your window closed and double locked and stay in the living room."Graham said as the other kids nodded mutely.
In short order, they arrived at the house, Hela allowed herself to be led to the door as she held Chip. Graham unlocked the door and then ran back to the car to retrive Kassie. Walking in the living room, The two adults laid the children on the sofa and the robots looked around anxiously. Graham hugged Connor tightly goodbye then walked out the door.
"Does anyone want anything to drink?" Connor asked. Hela smiled, "don't worry, Connor. I'll watch you guys.". Connor sat down on the couch next to his comatose like cousin. As soon as he made a move to her, Abby gasped. "Chip!? CHIP!"She shreiked. Chip's pale face had gone blue, his skin cool to the touch. He had stopped breathing.
To be continued....
