How long had it been? A week? Maybe two? Did it really matter? All the days seemed to blur each other, with nothing to break up the monotony that seemed to plague him now. It wasn't like he could go to school now, what good would that do? What good was a degree from a stupid university if he had no real future other than what was now laid out in front of him?

Nothing, that's what.

And yet, the only thing keeping him tied down to this stars-awful 'job' was the look of desperation in Lloyd's eyes every time he saw him. The guy deserved better than this, he deserved someone who could actually make something of themselves. Not some washed-up has-been like him. But still, he couldn't just leave Lloyd to fend for himself. Even if he hated every second of this new existence, he owed it to Lloyd to see it through till the end.

With a heavy sigh, Eddie watched as the clock ticked ever closer to the end of the school day. Soon. Soon his friends would be free from that nightmarish prison called 'school' and then he could be with them, even if it was just for a little while. Anything to-

"Something on your mind, dude? You've been staring at that clock for the last half-hour."

He turned around, spotting Boomer lounging in the doorway of his shop. "Oh, you know, just thinking about the fact that my life is a cosmic joke that I'll never be able to escape from no matter how hard I try to."

"Well, you know what they say - if there's one thing that teenagers are truly excellent at, it's finding new and inventive ways to get down in the dumps," Boomer quipped, "I got to admit though, that new voice of yours doesn't really suit you that well. I miss your old one."

"You and me both. Hey, Boomer, do you ever feel like you're stuck?"

"All the time, man! Like just last week, I was working on this one guy's hovercar, then my arm got stuck in the exhaust pipe! Don't remember how it happened, but it took me a whole twenty minutes to figure out how to get it unstuck."

"I mean in a bigger sense. Do you ever feel like there's nothing you can do to escape from where your life is at? That even if you wanted to, there's no way that you could ever get out of the rut that your life has become? Or is that just something that only I feel? Because I sure am feeling like that right now."

"I don't know if this robot thing you've got going on made you lose some of your memories, but I wasn't always a mechanic, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember. You were a prince. Ex-prince now."

"Now I'm just Boomer the mechanic. Point is, you can't always be stuck in the same place, man. You've got to keep moving forward or else you'll never get anywhere."

"But what if you're just an eyeball on a cable cord? How exactly does one 'move forward' when they can barely move around at all? I mean, I know that sounds like a stupid question. But I'm asking it because it's something I've been thinking about a lot lately."

"That's not even close to the stupidest thing that anyone has ever said. I mean, it's not even in the top ten. And I've heard some stupid things in my day. I've said some stupid things in my day. You're just lost and confused, little bro."

Eddie cocked his 'head' to the side, "Confused?"

"Yeah. I get it, you're feeling like you're stuck in one place and that's scary, But the thing is, you're not actually stuck. You just think you are because you don't know what the next step is. But that's okay! That's normal, nobody knows what they're doing all the time."

"Huh. That's actually really comforting to hear. I mean, it's not like it changes anything or makes me feel any better but... thanks. It's just that... I don't know what to do with myself. I had this clear plan set out for myself. Become a cop just like my dad and his dad and do cool police work! But now I can kiss that dream goodbye."

"Sounds like you've got some serious approval issues."

"I do not! What makes you think I have approval issues?"

"Well, think about it. Your dad's a cop, right? And his dad was a cop. So, I think it's safe to say that the real reason you want to be a cop isn't because you're actually interested in the work, it's because you want to follow in your dad's footsteps. Wanting approval like that is never as simple as just wanting approval. There's always something deeper going on, and you need to figure out what that is before you can ever move forward. I think that you're afraid of disappointing him."

"I'm not afraid of disappointing him. I mean, maybe a little bit but..."

"But?"

"He's probably already disappointed in me! What kind of respectable kid gets themselves killed and then put in a robot's body? I'm sure he's looking at me and thinking 'what a screw-up'. I'm not even a person anymore! I'm just some sort of... thing, a burden. Maybe even just a piece of property that can be disposed of whenever."

"Whoa, whoa, slow down there. Listen to yourself. You're talking a lot of doom and gloom and you haven't even considered the positive aspects of this situation."

"Like what, exactly?" Eddie asked.

"Well, for one thing, you're alive. I don't know about you, but if you were actually gone for good, I'd be pretty bummed out about it. You four are like little brothers to me, you know? And secondly, you've got a second chance. Not a lot of dead people get that. If I died and was given another chance, honestly, I don't know what I'd do. But I know that I'd try to make the most of it. And thirdly, no school! I thought you hated that place."

"I did, but Lloyd was right. No school sucks like durf a whole lot more when you've got nobody to spend it with. And not to mention, having barely a body isn't all that fun either."

"But you've got time to figure out what you can and can't do! Nobody comes out of a traumatic experience ready to take on the universe. It takes time to recover and grow and learn. The important thing is to keep taking baby steps forward, even if you don't know where those steps are leading you. Because eventually, you'll find your way and take another step, and then another one, until finally, you're back in the game. It's not going to be easy, but I think you can do it."

Eddie nodded, taking in Boomer's words. His desolation slowly began to wane, and he felt a little more sure of himself. But only just a little.

"It's funny that you should say that," he said, "I was thinking about how my dad used to tell me that I could do anything I set my mind to. And for the longest time, I thought he was just saying that because he was my dad and he had to believe in me. But maybe he was right. The thing is, it's hard to keep believing in yourself when it feels like everything and everyone is against you. For starters, everyone keeps babying me and acting like I'm the saddest sob story to ever exist. Like I'll break or something if they say the wrong thing or look at me too wrong."

"That sounds rough. Sorry about that, little dude."

"Don't be, it's not your fault. The thing is, you're probably the first person to focus less on the things that I can't do anymore and more on the things I can. Which is kind of depressing to think about, to be honest. Yeah, I'm not who I used to be, but I'm still me. And I don't want people to see me as some broken thing that needs fixing."

Boomer scratched his chin. "You ever try, you know, bringing that up with them? Letting them know that you don't want them treating you differently because of an accident? You guys taught me that the best way to get a message across is to be open and honest about your feelings. Why would this be any different?"

Eddie sighed. "To tell you the truth, I didn't say anything because I believed all of that. That I was broken and useless, and honestly? A part of me still does. It's going to take a while for me to be able to look at my own reflection without cringing at the sight of it. But having someone see me as something more than a robot who might be five seconds away from self-destructing from the burden of their emotions is something. I don't know what that something is, exactly. But it's nice. I know everyone else is also trying to be nice, but..."

"It hurts, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does," Eddie said as he glanced over at the clock on the wall, "Shoot, it's almost time. Hey, Boomer? Is it alright if I'm not quite ready to talk to my friends about everything? I know I should and all, but I'm just not quite there yet. You understand?"

"Of course, man. You should never be forced to do something that you're not ready for. If you're not ready to talk to your friends about that whole can of fish bait, then just give it some time."

"Thanks. Another thing, do... do you think we can talk tomorrow?"

"I'll be here all week, little dude."