CHAPTER 3: THE NEW ROBOTS ON THE BLOCK

Back at the house, Xander was sitting on the living room sofa. From behind him, from the bathroom, came the voice of Dianna singing, mixed with the sound of a running shower.

'I can't believe it!' thought Xander, his face reddening slightly. 'We're in the house, alone…and she's…she's taking a shower!'

As he sat there, thinking, Dianna's song carried into the living room. He recognized it as a song she often sang back home. (A/N: These are some translated lyrics for "A Vision", a song from the Evangelion anime)

A future is extending

By a dazzling vision

I can feel because of love

Strong and kind, but somehow heart-rending

I embrace a glimmer of such a feeling

Ah…I get drawn close

Ah…to you

"Her voice…it's so beautiful," said Xander, smiling as he recalled the peace he had always felt when he heard Dianna sing. "It's like an angel."

"Hey, Xander, I'm done with my shower," said Dianna, bringing Xander back to reality.

Xander looked up and his eyes bulged when he saw that Dianna was standing right in front of him, wearing nothing but a towel. 'Lord Almighty, I'm seeing her in a towel! She's so hot!' his mind screamed as he stared at her, his mouth hanging open.

"Xander, is something wrong?" asked Dianna as the boy got off the sofa.

"No, not at all!" said Xander with a nervous grin. "Well, let me get you your new clothes now!"

"Okay, Xander, I'm dressed now!" said Dianna, causing Xander to turn around to face her.

She was dressed in a pink T-shirt and a sky-blue miniskirt that Xander had bought a few days earlier. Her original outfit was unfit to wear, so he had taken the liberty of buying new things for her. (A/N: Awww, isn't that sweet?) "Well…how do I look?" she asked.

"Oh, my gosh, you're…you're so beautiful," said Xander, looking at her awe-struck.

"Oh, Xander," said Dianna, blushing. Suddenly, her expression changed entirely. "Hey, um, Xander…," she said in an unsure tone, "I have to know something. What happened to Mechanopolis, and why can't I remember a lot of our time together? I have to know the truth."

Xander nodded. "Very well," he said, "I guess it's time to tell you." He looked her right in the eye as he began to tell her what had happened.

"A few months ago, Epsilon City was attacked…by Jagger!" he said.

"My older brother!" asked Dianna in shock.

"Yes, that's right," continued Xander. "He stormed the city with an army of drones, killing and destroying all in his path."

"No…he…how could he…," said Dianna, her expression somewhere between shock and horror.

Xander continued telling the story. "I went into action to stop him, and…" He paused for a second before continuing, "You were shot while protecting me from a cowardly attack from your brother."

"That was how you got damaged so badly. When your brother saw you take the shot for me, he retreated, leaving death and destruction."

Dianna couldn't believe her audio receptors. "You mean…you mean I died? Jagger shot me while trying to shoot you?" She could barely get the words out.

"Wait, what happened to Mechanopolis!" she asked, although it was more like a demand. "What happened to my brother!"

"After you were shot, Jagger went insane. He went into the core of Mechanopolis, and he…destroyed it before I caught up with him. So, I activated a planet-wide evacuation signal, and…" He stopped and his face suddenly began to change from serious to guilty sorrow. "I'm sorry, Dianna! I was just so…angry, and I couldn't think straight, and I…" His voice died away.

"Xander, what happened? Please, you have to tell me!" cried Dianna. Xander's behavior was starting to make her nervous.

Xander practically forced the words out. "…I killed him!" he said, causing Dianna to look at him with a previously unknown degree of shock. "I killed Jagger right there in the core, Dianna! I'm sorry, I was just so angry! I thought that I'd lost you, and I…I didn't just kill him, I butchered him!" He suddenly began trembling, and tears began forming at the corners of his eyes.

"…Xander?" asked Dianna.

Xander fell to his knees and said, "Monster…that's what I am! I'm a heartless monster!"

Tears began forming in Dianna's eyes as she rushed over to Xander, got on her knees, and embraced him tightly. "No, no, don't say that!" she said. "You're not a heartless monster!"

She looked him right in the eye. "Xander, don't ever say that about yourself again! It's not true!"

Xander started to protest. "But, I…your brother…"

"I DON'T CARE! THAT BASTARD DESERVED TO DIE!" screamed Dianna in rage, shutting her eyes as the tears began to roll down her cheeks.

"Dianna…" Xander had never seen her this angry, nor could he believe what she was saying.

"HE DESTROYED OUR HOME, KILLED INNOCENT PEOPLE, AND HE BETRAYED ME! HE'S NOT MY BROTHER! DAMN HIM, DAMN HIM TO HELL!" she continued to scream.

"STOP IT, DIANNA!" yelled Xander, suddenly pulling her into an embrace, bringing her out of her anger. He pulled away and looked her in the eyes. "Dianna, this isn't you! Please stop, this is scaring me!"

"Xander…" Dianna suddenly blushed faintly, closed her eyes halfway, and began to rub her hands around Xander's neck and shoulders. "How far did we get in those two years?" she asked him softly.

Xander also blushed lightly, and replied, "How…far? Well, we…we did have our first kiss. Why do you ask?"

"I think it's time we got to know each other again," she said, bringing her face closer to his, "get to really know each other."

Xander made no attempts to resist as she pressed her lips to his, kissing him passionately. He simply let herself fall into his arms, and with every step they took further, all he could sense around him was her, his beloved...his everything.

"So, Sheldon, you're saying those enhancements included these 'Hyper Mode' things?" asked Jenny. Since her dress had been trashed by Excaliber, she had wrapped herself in one of the last few remaining curtains from the restaurant. The owner had graciously donated it to her after she had driven of Excaliber and Serenade.

"Yeah, but I have to admit, I'd never expected them to be that powerful!" replied Sheldon, still amazed about what had happened.

"Well, it's just what I'd expect from my right-hand assistant!" said Mrs. Wakeman proudly.

"So, how many Hyper Mode's do I have Sheldon?" asked Jenny, curious to know more.

Sheldon scratched the back of his head. "To be honest, Jenny, I'm not even totally sure. The Hyper Mode's develop according to the advancement of your skills. The only other one I actually know you have besides Fire Phoenix is called Crystal Matrix."

"Well, kids, we'd best get home," said Mrs. Wakeman. "We've had enough excitement for one day…or night."

An hour later, Jenny and Sheldon were standing outside the front door of Jenny's home. Mrs. Wakeman had gone ahead inside, so they were out there alone.

"I'm sorry our date got screwed up, Sheldon," said Jenny, giving him an apologetic smile.

"Oh, don't worry about it! We'll just have to hope for better luck next time," said Sheldon reassuringly.

"Oh, Sheldon," said Jenny, blushing. She took Sheldon's hands in her own and began to bring her face closer to his. The first time she had done this, it had happened so quickly, she hadn't thought about it. Now, however, she could feel a pounding in her chest as she closed her eyes, parted her lips ever so slightly, and tilted her head.

"J…Jenny?" asked Sheldon, blushing as well.

Jenny pressed her mouth over his as he opened it to say something else. Being it was only her second kiss with him, as well as her first "make-out" kiss, she was almost amazed by the feeling of ecstasy that she felt pulsing through her. After a few seconds, she broke the kiss, pulling slowly away from Sheldon, who looked like he'd been in heaven, which is exactly how he felt.

"Good night, Sheldon," said Jenny softly, caressing his cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Mrs. Wakeman had been watching through the window, and had seen the whole thing. Normally, someone would think she'd have charged out the front door and chased Sheldon off with a shotgun, but instead, she watched them with a big smile.

"Well done, both of you," she said softly, before turning away from the window. "Well, now to get back to work."

She walked to and entered an extra lab that she used for special secret projects. As she opened the door, she smiled in anticipation at what it was she had created in here, which was located at the back of the room.

A boy robot was there, on his knees, held up by restraining clamps on his arms, and power cables were connected to his back. He looked about a year younger than Jenny. His hair was two-tone; the top portion was white, and looked like half of an eggshell, while the rest was dark blue. His leg armor was also dark blue, and he wore nothing except for a white cloth that was wrapped around his waist area.

As if sensing the woman's presence, the robot, whose name was Jonathon, "Johnny" for short, raised his head slightly and slowly opened his eyes. "Mo…Mother, is that you?" he asked.

"Yes, it's me," said Mrs. Wakeman, walking up to the control panel situated on a pedestal directly in front of Johnny. "I've come to check on you."

"Is it…is it time, Mother?" asked Johnny, his eyes half-closed.

"Yes, it is, my son," said Mrs. Wakeman, typing a numeric code into the control panel.

Johnny's eyes flew open. "R…Really?" he asked, the excitement evident in his voice. The clamps on his arms popped open and withdrew into the wall, and the cables popped out of his back. Now free from restraint, Johnny stood up.

"Now, let's get you into your new clothes," said Mrs. Wakeman, "and tomorrow, you shall finally meet your big sister, my son…Global Robotic Response Unit XJ-10!"

"Oh, yeah," said Johnny, smiling eagerly.

The next morning, Jenny was lying in bed asleep. As such, she didn't see Johnny peeking over the edge of her bed as he snuck around it. He wanted to surprise his sister, make a grand entrance, and he had everything planned out.

"Wakey-wakey, Jenny!" he said cheerfully.

Jenny mumbled something as she started to open her eyes. Her eyes suddenly flew wide open when she saw a young, robotic face looking at her with a happy face. He was wearing a silver pullover with a collar over a dark blue T-shirt and black pants.

"Hi, sis," said Johnny in a warm voice. "Wanna get up and play?"

Jenny shot backwards, pressing her back against the backboard of her bed. "What the…Who in the heck are you!" she shrieked in alarm.

"I'm XJ-10," said Johnny, seemingly unaffected by Jenny's outburst, "but you can call me Johnny! I'm your little brother!"

Jenny arched her eyebrow. "Little…brother?" she said, feeling completely confused. "But, I don't have…a…" Suddenly, she narrowed her eyes and looked off to the side. 'Wait a minute…,' she thought, suddenly getting an idea what was going on.

She got out of bed and stomped towards her mom's lab. "MOM!" she yelled, smashing the door against the wall when she opened it.

Mrs. Wakeman immediately knew she was in hot water. If Jenny had gotten anything from her, it was her ability to be incredibly intimidating. 'Uh-oh, this can't be good!' she thought as she heard the thud of metal footsteps quickly approaching her.

"WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA OF MAKING MY REPLACEMENT WITHOUT TELLING ME!" roared Jenny, practically blowing Mrs. Wakeman's hair back. In fact, the elderly scientist would swear that flames were shooting out of Jenny's mouth when she roared at her.

Fortunately, the so-called "replacement" stepped in and saved the woman's hide. "Sis, I'm not your replacement, I'm your partner," he said as he came and stood beside her.

"I DON'T…" Jenny did a double-take and looked at the other robot. "You're my…partner?" she asked haltingly.

"That's right, XJ-9!" said Mrs. Wakeman, coming to Johnny's side. "As of this moment, you will be working with XJ-10 in carrying out your global defense duties."

Jenny instantly felt every kind of idiot. "Johnny, I…I'm so sorry, I didn't realize…I didn't mean to act like that," she said.

"Oh, that's okay, sis," said Johnny. "I know you were a little surprised, so it's no big deal."

"Hey, what's all the hollering for?" asked Xander, who walked into the lab, minus his shirt and still looking half-asleep. "You woke us both up."

"Oh, I didn't mean to disturb you, Xander," said Jenny. Suddenly, she realized something. "Wait, did you just say 'the both of us'?" she asked.

Just then, Dianna appeared next to Xander, wearing nothing but his shirt. "Hi, you must be XJ-9, Jenny," she said in a friendly voice. "Xander told me all about you. I'm DN-9, but you probably already know my name is Dianna. I'm happy to finally meet you."

Jenny stared at the blond robot as if she had been smacked over the head with a crowbar. "D-Dianna!" she nearly shouted. "But-but-but Xander, you told me she died the day you left Mechanopolis!"

"Yes, she did," explained Xander, "but thanks to the aid of your mother, she has been repaired and is back with me again."

"Oh, my gosh! That's wonderful, Xander!" said Jenny happily.

Johnny, meanwhile, was staring love-struck at Dianna. Being a teenage robot male, he had his own hormonal highs, and he was having one now. 'Holy mother of Bill Gates! That is one hot ro-babe!' he thought as he gazed at her.

He charged forward, stopping directly in front of Dianna and holding her hand in both of his. "Why, hello there, fair damsel," he said smoothly, causing Dianna, Jenny, and Xander to stare at him in shock. "Without a doubt, you are the most beautiful creature I have ever set my eyes on."

"Umm, uh, thank you, sir," said Dianna, blushing lightly, "but…I already have a boyfriend.

She had tried to put it as gently as possible, but Johnny still flipped out. He choked first, staring at Dianna as if she had just ripped out his heart and crushed it. "Shot down on my first day! Life is so cruel!" he wailed before flopping down on the floor like a rag doll.

Elsewhere in Tremorton, Excaliber was sitting on the edge of the roof of a building, glaring at the city below him. He had been repaired, and had gotten some new armor, but that did little to improve his sour mood. He still couldn't get over the fact that he had been beaten by Jenny.

"What do you want?" he grumbled as he glanced behind him at the approaching individual. She laid her hand on his shoulder, causing him to glare at it before shifting it up to her.

"Hey, do you want some company, Excaliber?" asked Serenade warmly, hoping that he might cheer up.

"I'd rather be alone, thank you very much!" said Excaliber as he turned to look away from her.

Serenade sat down beside him and said, "Okay."

Excaliber looked back at her with an expression of annoyance. "You don't listen very well, do you?" he asked.

"Well, not to you, anyways!" Serenade shot back.

"Figures," said Excaliber, looking straight ahead. "Typical woman, never listens to a thing-." He was cut off when Serenade suddenly planted a quick kiss on his helmeted cheek. "What was that for?" he asked, actually flustered and blushing instead of angry.

"Well, we have a quiet moment," said Serenade, smiling again, "so I thought I'd thank you for saving me yesterday."

"Well, we'd best enjoy the quiet while we can, Serenade," said Excaliber, looking ahead again.

Serenade let out a sigh. "Yeah, I know what you mean," she said. "Vexus damn near bit our heads off after that SNAFU yesterday!"

"I'm not talking about her, Serenade."

Serenade immediately locked her gaze on him. Something in his tone didn't sound right. "Huh?"

"Something is approaching…and this time," said Excaliber, "I think that the Cluster is going to be the one to fall."

That afternoon, at the Wakeman residence, Johhny was standing in the front yard. He had a serious look on his face, as though something was wrong.

Suddenly, cardboard targets began popping out of the bushes. Immediately, Johnny fired at them with his left hand, which was spitting lasers out of the fingertips like a machine gun. No sooner had he destroyed the targets, than four short logs were launched into the air from behind some more bushes. Johnny spun around quick as a whip, there was a flash of light, and the logs collapsed to the ground, each one sliced into four equal pieces. Johnny stood tall and erect, both of his arms now converted into beam sabers.

"One point ninety-six seconds!" said Mrs. Wakeman as she looked at the stopwatch in her hand. "Not bad, XJ-10!"

"Hey, thanks, Mom," said Johnny, changing his arms back to normal.

Meanwhile, Sheldon and Dianna were meeting for the first time, while Jenny and Xander watched from a little ways off.

"So, you're ID number is DN-9, and your name is Dianna" said Sheldon as he shook her hand. "Well, since I don't have an ID number, my name is Sheldon Lee."

"Well, I'm happy to meet you, Sheldon," said Dianna politely. She was once again wearing the clothes Xander had given her last night.

As this was happening, Jenny looked over to Xander and said, "So, you say that out of the two years that you and Dianna have known each other, she can only remember three months."

"Yeah, pretty much," said Xander, feeling a little bummed that a major portion of his life was gone. "Still, it hasn't had any…negative effects on our relationship."

Jenny suddenly looked at him impishly. "That's right, you two seemed pretty close when I saw you this morning, you sly little devil, you!" she said mischievously.

Xander's blushed, his eyes bulged, and his jaw dropped. He couldn't believe that Jenny had guessed what had happened between him and Dianna last night. (A/N: You all know what happened, I'm sure! wink, wink)

"Relax, Xander, I'm just playing around with you!" said Jenny, giving him a joking smile.

Xander, however, narrowed his eyes at her in a murderous glare. "Don't…ever…joke…about that again, Jenny! I mean it!" he hissed.

"I just…I always wondered what that's like, you know," said Jenny, looking down at the ground.

"What what's like, Jenny?" asked Xander, quickly forgetting about being mad.

Jenny looked up at him, looking him right in the eye. "To have a special someone," she said, "a kindred soul."

Xander smiled at her gently. "Believe me, it's incredible, Jenny," he said. "It's like finding a piece of your heart, of your very being, that you didn't even know was missing."

As if to prove this point, Dianna came up and warmly embraced Xander. It seemed to Jenny that if you looked just right, they appeared to be one being instead of two. 'Yeah, you got that right,' she thought as she watched the two lovers hold each other.

"Xander, I'm glad to be here with you," said Dianna, rubbing her cheek against Xander's Chest.

"Well, it's good to have you back, Dianna," said Xander, slowly moving his hands up and down her back.

"Hi, Jenny," said Sheldon, joining them.

"Sheldon, hello!" said Jenny warmly.

Without another word, the two teens gently held each other and kissed passionately. At the same time, Johnny was watching them with mild disgust.

"Mom, sis is making out with Sheldon a mere 15 feet away!" he said flatly, pointing in their direction.

Mrs. Wakeman looked over at the two teens, which were still lip-locked. "Yes, I'm aware of that, XJ-10," she said without any hint of displeasure, and then turned back to her laptop, where she was entering the data she had gathered during Johnny's training.

Johnny looked at her, mildly surprised. "You mean to say that you don't care that your daughter and lab assistant are practically giving each other mouth-to-mouth?" he asked.

Without missing a keystroke, or looking back, Mrs. Wakeman replied with, "No, I have no problem with their attraction to each other."

Johnny rolled his eyes sarcastically. "Yeah, whatev-," he started to say, but he stopped and turned completely around. "Hey, what was that!" he asked in alarm.

"AAARRGGHH!" he cried out in pain as a laser beam suddenly struck him on the right side of his chest, knocking him to the ground.

"What the devil!" exclaimed Mrs. Wakeman, looking back in astonishment.

"JOHNNY!" cried Jenny, rushing to her brother's side.

Then, they saw who had done it. It was a robot clad from head to toe in a black uniform. He wore a helmet that had two eye visors, rimmed on top and around the back with gold. A strange golden symbol was on his left shoulder, and a black belt with a gold buckle was around his waist. He had a long, brown ponytail, and in one of his gloved hands was a laser pistol.

"That was just the warning shot," he said, his voice slightly distorted by the helmet. "As such, I suggest you tell me where XR-4 is!"

"Johnny, are you okay!" cried Jenny, kneeling beside her brother.

Johnny looked at where he had been shot, his teethclenched to keep from making any cry of pain. "Yeah, I'm okay, sis," he said in a strained voice, "I think!"

The mysterious attacker aimed his blaster at the two XJ's and said, "I know he's here, so I'll ask one last time, where is-GAAAHHH!" He was cut off when a laser blast shot straight through his head. He collapsed like a pile of junk.

Xander stood glaring at where the robot had fallen, his cap facing forward, glaring coldly at the limp body. His right arm was in its blaster form again, smoke still rising from the barrel.

"You rang, Satsujin scum?" he asked in a lethal voice.

Miles above the surface of the Earth, in the black of space just over Tremorton,s general location, a massive spaceship moved slowly in its orbit. It was the Star Leviathan Draconia, the ship sent to Earth by order of Angmar. Like Angmar's ship, it's control center was made to look like a dragon's head, but its body was different. It was rectangular and long, and from the back of the control center to the engines, the sides stretched out into wings. Star Leviathans were like space aircraft carriers, primarily used for carrying massive amounts of starfighters. At the moment, some activity was ensuing on the bridge.

"Captain Juno!" called Ensign Ackren as she ran down the gangway on the bridge. She was a young officer of the Satsujin Empire, just recently assigned to the Draconia. She had long blue hair and brown eyes, and a well-crafted figure. She wore the traditional olive-green Satsujin uniform, with the insignia of ensign on her left shoulder.

She suddenly stopped dead in her tracks and swallowed nervously when she suddenly came face-to-face with the very person she was looking for.

Captain Juno had a reputation for shaping all under his command into the best soldiers and officers in the whole Empire. He had long black hair with long bangs. His icy blue eyes were currently locked on Ackren in a very stern glare, and he was frowning.

"Ensign Ackren!" he said very firmly. "This is the command deck of a Satsujin Imperial warship, not a market on Galvron-5! Messages are not just shouted to me or any of the other officers on this ship, do you understand?"

Ackren's cheeks burned red with embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry, sir!" she said, bowing respectfully. "I won't do it again, I promise!" 'Darn it, I made myself look like an idiot in front of the captain again!' she thought.

As she was feeling foolish, Juno's expression softened considerably. "Hey, don't worry about it," he said reassuringly. "You're a damn fine crewman, and you're doing great. Just look out for those little things, okay?"

Ackren could only stare at him speechless, a blush beginning to form on her cheeks. 'Oh, my God! He gave me a compliment! I always get giddy when he does that!' cried her mind. (A/N: Uh-oh, I hope they don't have regulations that say officers and other personnel can't be involved with each other!)

"So, what's the message, Ensign?" asked Juno, ready to hear what was so important. He knew already that whenever Ackren forgot regulations and started shouting things, it was a sign that something serious had happened.

"I'm afraid it's not good, sir," said Ackren, quickly skimming over the information displayed on her data pad before looking back at him. "Scout Trooper TK-421 was just eliminated by someone on the planet's surface, and Angmar will be in this system inninety-six hours!"

All activity on the bridge seemed to freeze, and all the crewman turned around in Ackren's direction, looks of horrified shock on their faces. Even Juno, one of the toughest officers in the Empire, looked like he had just seen Death.

"A-A-Angmar is coming to the Earth system?" he just barely managed to breath out, trembling.

"Yes, sir, that is correct," replied Ackren.

Juno just looked straight ahead as though he had been petrified. 'Our emperor…Angmar,' he thought, an image of the said individual passing through his mind.

Suddenly, a klaxon went off, snapping him and the crew out of their petrified state. "What in the name of Mechano!" shouted Juno, looking around as a flashing red light filled the bridge.

"I don't know!" replied Ackren, quickly turning to one of the scan stations. "Scan crew, report!" she called to them.

"Captain, a ship just dropped out of hyperspace in our sector!" called one of the scan technicians. "It's a Cluster warship!"

Immediately, the main viewscreen displayed the warship. It was just like any other ship in the Cluster, resembling a giant, metal beetle with engines. The Satsujin, or at least the crew of the Draconia, knew this because they had already encountered and destroyed several Cluster ships on their way to Earth, and while they had been orbiting it; in fact, just outside the Asteroid Belt, they had destroyed a group of ten Cluster warships.

"The Cluster, eh," said Juno, beginning to get his battle grin. "Well, at least we're getting some more action!"

He assumed his position at the head of the gangway, and began shouting his orders, which his crew began carrying out immediately. "All hand, man your battle stations! Repeat, man your battle stations! Turn 45 degrees to starboard! Raise shields and activate cloaking field! Bring starboard guns to bear on enemy ship and fire at will!"

Ackren was watching Juno with hearts in her eyes and a love-struck smile on her face. 'Wow, Captain Juno is sexy when he's commanding!' she thought.

Despite its large size, the Draconia moved speedily as it moved into attack position and bore down on the Cluster ship. 30 minutes later, it was all over.

"Captain, we confirm successful destruction of the Cluster warship!" said the ship's lieutenant, the highest ranking female officer on the ship.

"Very good, Lieutenant!" said Juno. "Make sure no one on Earth knows about what happened!"

"Yes, sir!" replied the lieutenant, tapping her heels together before walking away.

Juno then turned his attention to Ackren, who was looking at him as though she wanted to ask him something. "Yes, what is it, Ensign?" he asked.

"I just want to say," said Ackren, "that I think you're a model commander, and a credit to our proud armada, Captain Juno!"

Juno's eyes widened and he blushed slightly. Clearing his throat, he said, "Thank you, Ensign. I'm glad that you feel satisfied with how I carry out my duties."

"And I shall work all the harder to ensure that I will be worthy of serving under you, Captain!" added Ackren.

"Ensign Ackren…," said Juno, putting his hands on the young crewman's shoulders, "I couldn't find any ensign more worthy of being under my command than you."

"Thank you, Captain."