Chapter Three: Friends and Enemies

Slowly, Jenny turned her head to face the gawking crowd, face bright blue in a humiliated blush. Not knowing what else to do, she lifted one hand and rubbed the back of her head, chuckling nervously. "Oops."

"Oops is right, missy!" an angry voice bellowed. Jenny's head snapped around on its axis to see a huge muscle-bound man stomping toward her. The tag pinned to his shirt identified him as the arcade manager, and he did not look very happy. He came right up to her and loomed over the six foot robot by at least two feet, and she started to feel even more uncomfortable standing in his shadow. "You've stepped in it big time, kid!" the manager continued. "Who do you think you are, breaking other people's stuff?"

Jenny looked down in embarrassment and focused on the wreckage of the dance machine's platform around her feet. As a few people snickered and whispered, she desperately prayed that the floor would turn to quicksand."But-but I didn't . . ." she stammered helplessly. "I mean . . . it wasn't my . . ."

At the sight of his beloved robot angel in distress, Sheldon nervously approached the manager from behind and cleared his throat. "Um, excuse me, sir?"

The huge man spun around, his cheeks red with fury. He looked down at the skinny boy cringing behind him and growled. "WHAT??"

Terrified, Sheldon quickly backed off. "Never mind."

My hero, Jenny thought dryly, her metal pigtails sagging in frustration. She peered through the whispering crowd, hoping to see Brad and Tuck coming to her aid. She finally noticed the boys standing at another game machine. Tuck was looking straight at her and tugging on Brad's pant leg, but the older boy was engrossed in his game, not paying to attention to the little scenario at the dance machine.

Looks like I'm on my own. Jenny stepped out of the wreckage of the machine's platform as the arcade manager continued to glare down at her. Bracing herself for more chewing out, she opened her right arm at the elbow. A broom slid out of the narrow compartment, connected to a thin bar of metal. Her left arm snapped open next and a dust pan unfolded from inside. "It was an accident, sir." she mumbled meekly. "I'm really, really sorry. I can clean up the mess for you if you like."

Despite her offer and her apology, the manager clenched his fists. "What good will that do me??" he snapped back. "This game cost me four thousand dollars!"

She tried to think of something to say in return, but another voice cut her off. "Well, I hope you can get your money back."

Jenny's pigtails jerked upward in surprise. Somebody was going to help her after all! Every head turned to see who had spoken. A girl with long blonde hair stepped forward, wearing a light green cardigan and short lavender skirt. Jenny recognized her instantly; she was the same girl who had explained the dancing game to her and helped her win. The onlookers hushed as the young blonde came up next to Jenny and stopped right in front of the huge manager, who towered over both of them like a mountain. She looked like a tiny doll in comparison to him, and Jenny worried he might fall over and crush her. The other girl seemed totally undaunted by him, though, and looked him straight in the eye, arms folded calmly behind her back and smiling the sweetest smile you ever saw. "Sir, did this game come with a warranty?"

The manager looked down at the little person who wasn't afraid of him. "Yeah, of course it did!" he replied, a hint of confusion on his face.

"I see." the girl said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Tell me, how long was it good for?"

"Four years." he answered, still confused.

She nodded her head like a teacher would, helping her little student do his multiplication tables. "Well, if you ask me," she said knowingly. "You ought to sue the manufacturer for giving you a bad game. It didn't even last a whole day!"

The manager's face lit up at the announcement as if it were a divine revelation "That's right!" he said gleefully. "I could be rich! I gotta go call my lawyer!"Grinning like an idiot, the huge man happily bounded off.

The blonde girl waved cheerfully after him. "Bye-bye! Have fun in court!" Then she turned to face the crowd of people still staring at Jenny and the broken machine. Immediately her demeanor transformed from adorable to terrifying. "Okay, you dirt bags!" she shouted like a drill sergeant barking orders to his men. "Show's over! Go on! Get lost!"

The arcade customers obeyed and quickly scurried away, leaving Jenny to stare at the blonde girl in bewilderment. She was certainly a puzzle. Not only was the abrupt mood swing strange, but she had she come to Jenny's rescue at the last minute (and with seemingly no effort), and didn't seem to mind at all that she was a robot! Who was she? Sheldon hadn't recognized her, and she hadn't given her name.

When the girl's scary expression had switched back to normal, Jenny retracted the cleaning tools into her arms and smiled at her gratefully. "Thanks a lot for the help. It was really nice of you to do that."

The girl placed her hands on her hips, beaming triumphantly. "Not a problem! I figured you could use some intervention right about then. That guy was being a major jerk!" She gestured toward the sparking debris behind them with her thumb. "Don't feel bad about the game, either. You did great! Most people can't get that many 'perfects' on their first try!"

Jenny's giggled sheepishly at the praise, cheeks flushing light blue. "Thanks! But you were totally awesome! I've never seen anybody groove like that before! Where'd you learn those moves?"

This time it was the other girl's turn to giggle. "I've taken lessons my whole life! Dancing's pretty much what I live for!" She held out her hand to Jenny with a warm smile. "By the way, my name's Sam. I'm new here."

"I'm Jenny! Nice to meet you!" Jenny's hand shot out and gripped Sam's tightly. As she vigorously pumped the girl's arm up and down, and idea came to her, and her smile grew to taking up almost her entire face. "Hey, you wanna hang out? I'll give you a tour of the mall! And I can go to all the good stores!"

Sam was caught off-guard by the robot's enthusiastic handshake, but at the mention of stores her eyes grew wide with excitement. "Really? You would?? That would be totally rad!"

"Great! Just give me one second!" She bent down and scooped up the giant bag of coins she'd left on the floor and thrust it at Sheldon, who had been standing by silently throughout the girls' dialogue. "Thanks for the quarters, Sheldon!" she chirped merrily. "See ya!"

She dropped the bag into Sheldon's puny arms, leaving him to stagger under its significant weight. "But what about playing 'Zombie Shoot Out' together?" he protested, but Jenny had turned her back on him and was walking away with Sam, talking and laughing.

Meanwhile, Tuck watched the girls leave the arcade together and looked up at Brad, who was still pounding buttons and pushing joysticks. "Brad, Jenny just left." Tuck remarked.

Brad didn't hear him, as he was too busy scoffing at his virtual opponent. "Mwa ha ha! I've got you now, you little bugger!" A few more quick punches and kicks and the enemy was knocked to the ground. "Yes! A new high score!" Brad pumped his fists in the air exultantly as he cheered. "All hail Brad Carbunkle, king of 'Fighting Fighters!' Boo ya!" He did a short victory dance, shaking his hips from side to side, and then looked for someone to brag to.

When he noticed that only Tuck was with him, he frowned. "Hey, where's Jenny?" Tuck merely rolled his eyes in exasperation and embarrassment.


The Tremorton Museum of Ancient Artifacts was quiet today. Monday through Friday at nine in the morning, the majestic white-marble facility would open its doors to the public. There was a room for every age of human existence before the Renaissance, from stone tools and weapons of prehistoric times on up to full suits of armor from the middle ages. Visitors would come all week to marvel at the historical relics displayed on walls or within glass cases, but today there was only one elderly security guard patrolling the galleries and long stone corridors. He barely noticed the vestiges of civilizations long dead as he paced his route. After his many years of working for the museum, none of the sumptuous Persian tapestries or tarnished Viking swords could inspire much awe in him.

The gray-haired guard yawned and checked his watch. It was three forty-five, nearly two hours until closing time. He was anxious to get home and begin his weekend off from work, but had no choice but to wait until the final hour to leave. He rested one hand on the club at his broad waist and shuffled into the next gallery, where all the Greek pieces were kept. He glanced around involuntarily at the vases and sculptures with dull eyes. Then he noticed a tall and impossibly thin figure standing in front of a roped off display case in the center of the room. The figure was clad entirely in flowing black clothing and wearing a hood over its head.

The guard quirked a puzzled gray eyebrow at the visitor. He hadn't noticed anyone come in. He tried to identify what the person's sex was from behind, but the black cape and hood made it impossible to see any anatomy. Finally the person spoke in a low, elegant voice that was distinctly female. She didn't turn her head to look at him, and he wondered how she knew he was there. "Pardon me, sir. Can you inform me about this piece here?"

The old guard cleared his throat and prepared to recite the same answer he had given for five months. "That there's the Staff of Circe, dating back to 753 BC. In Homer's 'Odyssey' Circe was a witch that could turn men into animals by magic. Some legends say she used this very staff for that."

"How interesting." said the woman, her smooth voice fluid as her gently fluttering cape. "Then shouldn't it be kept under greater precautions? Think of the havoc that would result if it fell into the wrong hands."

The guard was a bit confused by her statement, but shrugged it off. "Not to worry, ma'am. We've got security cameras all over this room, and as you can see I'm standing right here. Besides, it's only a legend."

The woman emitted a softly ironic chuckle. "We'll see."

This guest was too strange for the old guard's taste. What did she mean by that? Suspicious, he reached for his radio to call the other guards into the room. The hooded woman disregarded him and raised her arms, thin pale hands extending from within long blacks sleeves. Foreign words rolled off her tongue in a sinister chant and her body began to shimmer with an unnatural green light.

The guard decided then not to wait for his partners to arrive. He stepped quickly toward the woman and drew the pistol from his belt. "You're under arrest!" he announced, aiming his weapon at her back. "Put your arms down and step away from the case!" The glass of the display crackled a brilliant red as the chanting continued. The light around the woman's form slowly darkened from green into burgundy, and then brightened into red. Finally the case exploded, sending razor sharp shards of glass into the air. The long wooden staff resting within the case slowly rose into the air and drifted toward the woman's waiting hands.

Now on the verge of panic, the guard pulled the trigger on his gun. The woman spun around at the sound of the gunshot and quickly held up a hand. The bullet screeched to a halt mere inches away and dropped to the floor uselessly. The red aura around her dark figure began to fade now. Her face was still obscured by her hood, but now the guard could see a pair of narrow yellow eyes glaring out at him. She aimed the carved wooden head of the staff at him.

The guard dropped his gun on the floor and turned to run, but it was too late for him. As the woman began another chant the staff head burned crimson. "Staff of Circe, power unleash! Turn this human form to beast!"


To be continued . . .