Chapter Four: Mall Madness

A duet of delighted, high-pitched squeals pierced the ears of every customer in the New Navy store. Not surprisingly, they had been emitted by two overexcited teenage girls trying on clothes in the dressing room. However, it was surprising that one of the girls happened to be a six-and-a-half foot robot.

Jenny stood in front of a wall of full-length mirrors, admiring her reflection from three different angles. She was wearing a light pink shirt with a whimsically swirling butterfly design on the front. Bits of glitter were scattered all over it, sparkling and shimmering with multicolored light. A denim skirt was wrapped around her slim waist, held in place by a belt studded with rhinestones. "It fits! It fits!" Jenny cheered, bouncing gleefully on her toes.

Beside her and standing almost a foot shorter was Sam. She wore a sky blue dress that reached past her knees, dotted all over with a pink and white floral pattern. It was very flattering to her curving figure but didn't reveal too much. She beamed with pride and twirled around in a circle, sending the ends of the garment billowing out around her legs. "I feel so pretty!" she sang.

"Oh my gosh!" Jenny gushed. "That dress looks sooo good on you, Sam! You have to get it!"

Sam's smile widened. "Really? You think boys will like me in this?"

"They'll love you!" Jenny exclaimed. "You'll have to beat them off with a stick!"

The blonde girl laughed as her cheeks flushed slightly. "Wow! Okay, I'll take it!"

Jenny looked at her own reflection one more time. It pleased her that the shirt disguised her figure so nicely, giving her a much less boxy appearance. The soft colors went well with her aqua blue paint job also, and she really loved the little sparkles! She turned to the human girl again. "You think I should get this?"

Sam nodded. "Definitely! I really like the butterfly on the front, and the colors are so 'you'! You'll have to start beating off boys yourself!" At the thought of that, Jenny's cheeks flushed blue and she couldn't hold back a silly laugh. Sam joined in and soon they were both giggling like mad.

As they laughed, Jenny thought of how much fun she'd been having that afternoon. What had seemed like a crummy start to the weekend had become one of the best days she could remember. At last, she'd met a girl who didn't treat her like a giant metal freak! She and Sam had cruised through the mall together for almost an hour and not once had the human girl put her down or tried to abandon her. In fact, Jenny felt like they had been friends for years.

Whoa, hold up. Rewind and freeze. Friends? Sam, a nice, normal girl, was now her friend? Her pigtails rose upward in delight. This was too good to be true! She finally had a girl to hang out with and do all the things she liked! She could talk about cute boys without feeling awkward, watch chick flicks with no snoring in the background, and maybe even have sleepovers! Nothing could ruin her good mood now!

As the giggling died down, Jenny spoke up. "So, Sam, where do you wanna go next? There's still plenty of stores you haven't seen yet!"

Sam counted the store names off on her fingers. "Let's see, so far we've been to Power Records, Bedelia's, Dry Seal and New Navy. Hmm. I'm thinking we should do either make-up or shoes next."

Jenny grinned. "There's a Zapato's shoe store down this way!"

"Shoes it is, then!"


A high-pitched ringing sounded throughout the corridors of the mall. A man wearing a ski mask rushed out of a jewelry store, clutching a bag in one hand. He weaved his way in and out of the maze of shoppers, constantly looking out for security guards. He spotted the stairway just ahead of him and grinned to himself. Soon he'd be miles away from the mall with his ill-gotten gains.

Then he saw the giant blue fist flying at him. With the power of a speeding freight truck, it crashed into his face and sent him sailing backward through the air. He was knocked unconscious at the moment he hit the floor several yards away.

Jenny thrust her massive spike-knuckled fists in the air victoriously. "He's down for the count! The winner and still champion, Jenny Wakeman!"

The shoppers around her clapped and cheered for her as the security guards arrived at the scene. After replacing the giant fists with her normal-sized hands, Jenny made an exaggerated bow. "Thank you, thank you, you're too kind! Please, no autographs!"

Sam stood close by, clutching several shopping bags and staring in awe. Out of everyone who had seen Jenny, she was the most impressed. Certainly she had been surprised at the arcade when she first met the robot girl, but this was far more then she had expected. Hoisting her bags she rushed to Jenny's side. "Ohmygosh! Jenny, you didn't tell me you were a superhero! That is so totally cool!"

Flattered and slightly embarrassed, Jenny rubbed the back of her head and grinned. "Aw, it's not that cool."

"Yes, it is!" Sam fervently insisted. "It's cool beyond all known measures of cool! You totally kicked that guy's butt!"

Jenny grinned, basking in the girl's admiration. "The poor guy never stood a chance!" Then she chuckled. "I'm just sorry Brad and Tuck weren't here to see that!"

Sam was puzzled. "Brad and Tuck? Who are they?"

"They're my neighbors, and good friends of mine." Jenny explained. "I'll introduce you to them later, if you like!"

Sam beamed. "Cool! I'd like that!"

Jenny smiled back despite a small twinge of guilt. She realized that she had ditched her two friends in favor of hanging out with Sam. But then she reminded herself how neither of the boys had helped her escape the wrath of the angry manager over the broken Dance Frenzy machine. She had Sam to thank for that, and it would serve Brad right to not have Jenny around for a while. Maybe this would teach him to pay more attention to her instead of his dumb video games!

Suddenly a buzzing noise caught both girls' attention. Jenny looked down at her stomach; sure enough, her belly bolt was flashing. Sam watched in amazement as Jenny's blue chest plate split open and a thin metal arm popped out. A monitor screen opened at the end and switched on, displaying a black and white image. An elderly woman with unruly white hair and owlish glasses appeared, wearing an expression of severe annoyance. As she starting speaking Sam noticed she had an unusual accent, and a distinctive parental tinge in her speech. "XJ-9! Where have you been all afternoon?? You should have been home an hour ago!"

Jenny rolled her eyes; so much for her good mood. "Mom, I told you I was going to the mall after school!"

"And I told you that you had to be home after school!" Mrs. Wakeman replied, jabbing a critical finger at her daughter. "Don't you remember? I was going to de-fragment your hard drive today!"

"Can't it wait until tomorrow instead?" Jenny complained. "I'm with a girl who just moved here today, and I promised I'd show her around!"

Mrs. Wakeman looked surprised. "Moved here today?" she echoed. The monitor screen turned sharply toward Sam, startling her. The scientist's face brightened up with a smile at the sight of the girl. "Ah! You must be Samantha Sanderson!" she said in a friendly tone.

Sam blinked, startled again. "Yeah, that's me! How did you know that?"

"You match the description your mother gave me." Mrs. Wakeman explained. "I met her at the supermarket and she told me all about you!"

"She did?" Sam suddenly looked worried. Who knew what kind of embarrassing information her mother would give out? "What did she say?"

"She told me you'd gone to the mall, and I mentioned that I had a daughter who liked shopping, too." Wakeman chuckled. "Then we started trading stories! For instance, there was one incident when XJ-9 had someone construct ears for-"

Jenny slapped her hands over the screen just in time to stop her mother from finishing the sentence. She looked at Sam with a self-conscious grin and flushed bright blue. "Ha ha ha ha! Sorry, could you excuse us for a minute?" She dashed around the corner of the nearest store before Sam could answer. Once out of sight, she leaned against the wall and held her monitor out at arm's length, glaring at the image of her mother. "Mother, are you trying to ruin my life?? I just met Sam today and you're already making me look stupid!"

Mrs. Wakeman rolled her eyes at her daughter's moodiness. "Must you dramatize everything, XJ-9? I certainly didn't call you to ruin your life. There's been a robbery at the Tremorton Museum of Ancient Artifacts. You need to fly there and investigate it right away!"

Jenny rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "Please, mom! Don't you think the police can handle an easy job like that?"

"Young lady, what do you think you were made for?" Wakeman chided, raising one finger in a scolding gesture. "Along with saving the world, crime-fighting is your primary function! Now you blast-off to that museum this instant, or you can kiss your television privileges goodbye!"

"But I can't just leave Sam! What am I supposed to tell her?"

"It's okay, Jenny." Sam's voice cut in. Jenny jerked her head around to see the young blonde standing beside her, having overheard everything. "You go ahead and investigate the robbery." she continued, smiling sweetly. "I'll be fine until you get back."

Jenny was relieved by her understanding, but still hesitant. "Really? You're okay with that?"

"Yeah, I've got all these stores to keep me company!" Sam grinned. "Besides, I can guard your new stuff for you!"

"New stuff??" The monitor spun toward Sam again, and Wakeman's jaw dropped in horror at the number of bags she had. "Sweet Isaac Newton!!" she cried, then spun back toward her daughter, looking more incensed then ever. "So this is what you've been doing for the past hour! Purchasing useless trinkets, rubbish and all manner of knick-knacks! How much of your allowance money did you spend??"

Jenny sighed, her shoulders and pigtails sagging. "I don't have time for this, mom! I'm going to the museum now! Bye!" She pressed the button on the side of the monitor, turning her mother off in the middle of her angry speech. "Bummer." she grumbled, stowing the monitor inside her chest again. "These missions always come up just when I'm having fun."

"Don't worry." Sam said reassuringly. "We can pick it up again when you're finished."

Jenny smiled at the girl gratefully. "Thanks, Sam. I'm glad you understand."

"Hey, I'm the one who should be saying thanks. This is my first day here, and I really appreciate all you did." Sam's smile grew even warmer. "I didn't expect to meet a friend today."

Neither did I, Jenny thought. Her pigtails pivoted around on their joints as a small rocket engine emerged from each one. With a final wave to Sam, she launched herself into the air, leaving a column of smoke and sparks in her wake.

Sam watched as she plowed through the ceiling, smiling to herself. "Go get 'em, girl!"


To be continued . . .