Chapter Eighteen: Torch, he's just a baby, Really
Torch woke up from his little slumber and looked around to see where he was. The ship had been real quiet for some time now and he got up to continue on his way, wondering why he was asleep in the middle of a hallway.
"Master?" he called out. "Master!" He stopped and looked around, straining his ears for a sound other than the engine humming. "MASTER!" his shout echoed down the hallway but there was still no reply. "Somebody? . . . Hello?" he called quietly and a little fearfully.
He headed down the hallway at a slow pace, keeping an eye and ear out for anything but everything was quiet for the first five minutes when he got an idea. He started his flamethrower and fired at full force, setting off the fire alarm and getting hosed down with the flame retardant. "That should get someone's attention." he said to himself, feeling proud and sat down to wait.
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The Bridge. . .
"What was that? Who started a fire?" Kokiri asked, heading over to the scanners.
"Someone started a fire in the east wing Observation Deck." answered the scanner person.
"Who's down there?" Kokiri asked, turning to the screen ahead.
The screen showed Torch setting off a stream of flames and tried to shield himself as the flame retardant showered him again.
"Send a security raptor and have him escorted to Medical Bay C. Chug should be in there."
"Aye, Captain."
"And have someone look over the tapes when he first arrived in the wing and then send the footage to my quarters, I'm heading down to the Medical Bay."
"Aye, Captain."
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Torch sat with his knees drawn up, drumming his fingers from anxiety. He had set off three streams of fire and was hosed down each time and no one had come for him yet. He was starting to understand Jester's panic attacks from all the waiting he was doing. He stood up when he heard footsteps running down from his left.
"Master?" he called out. He had to look up at the creature standing before him. It looked like the raptors from the master's medical team, only it was bigger and had more scales than feathers.
The Captain has ordered me to escort you to his brother down in Medical Bay C. If you will follow me. it said and turned around.
"No! I want my master!" Torch said and sat down and crossed his arms.
The Captain has ordered me to escort you to his brother in Medical Bay C. The raptor repeated and picked Torch up by the scruff of his neck and ran down the hall.
"Put me down! Put me down! I don't wanna go! I want my master! I want my master! MASTER!" Torch shouted, kicking and screaming all the way.
.
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Meanwhile, down in security . . .
The security guards in charge of keeping watch of the security cameras were hugging themselves to keep from squealing from cuteness indulgence overload. "Oh, look at him! He's so cute!" she cooed to her co-worker. "He's like a little baby when he sits down like that! And his cute little growl!"
They were watching Torch setting off a stream of flames and getting hosed down before he shivered and sat down and pulled his knees up. His little mechanical growl pushed them over the edge and they squealed.
They re-winded the tape to when he woke up from his nap, typed down a few keys and pushed play. "Now let's see what he's saying!"
"Master? . . . Master! . . . . MASTER! (echoes) . . . . Somebody? . . . Hello?"
"AAAAAAHHHHHHH! SO CU-U-U-TE!" they squealed and sent off the footage, keeping a copy for themselves and searched every video they could find that had the little metal child in it.
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Chug walked through a pair of double-swing doors, peeling off a pair of rubber gloves, sighing tiredly and wiping his brow and plopped down in a chair and rubbed his eyes. Then he contacted Kokiri and relayed a message: "All injured parties tended to, Captain. No casualties, give or take a few snores. (yawn!) Has Torch been located?" he yawned.
"Yes he has and is on his way to you now. He's being escorted by raptor, how are the other little fellas?" Kokiri asked.
"Received word about Blade. He had a bad fever for a while, but the coolant should reduce that and he was running low on his formula so I gave him a close variant. But his leg needs immediate surgery. If he were still a living organism it would need amputation stat before the blood clots up and gets infected." Chug said.
"Has he received immediate treatment for his fever?" Kokiri asked.
"Yes, he has, he's allowed a single visitor for now until he wakes up, then I'll have him and his brothers transferred to my quarters for the leg replacement." Chug said and stood up to stretch his legs when his office door bell rang. "Come." he called and scratched his behind.
"I want my master! I want my master! I want . . . MASTER!" Torch shouted, dangling from the teeth of a two foot tall velociraptor.
"Torch, my wee bairn, I thought I told you to stay with your brothers until I returned." Chug said, taking hold of the metal puppet who scurried up to his neck and hugged him. "Thank you Bogart." he said, dismissing the raptor. "Did you get mad at them again?" he asked, holding Torch at arms length.
"It wasn't my fault. Six started it." Torch said petulantly.
"I know, I heard all about it." Chug said, sitting back down and setting Torch down on his knee like a child. "Now, what was it he said that made you storm off?"
Torch brought his hand and flamethrower together and twiddled his thumb, looking very sheepish.
"Torch?"
"I don't really remember." Torch mumbled. "Tunneler said something about the formula and about your brother."
"Toulon's formula and my brother?"
"Yeah."
"What about it?"
"Um, . . . something about . . . ori. . . origin . . . n-n, ori-gin-al-ity, I think."
"The formula's originality?"
"Yeah! Because Blade was sick and getting a bad fever and you said you were a Potions Master."
"Oh! I think I know what he was talking about." Chug smiled and stood up, carrying Torch like a child to a private room. "I think what your brother was talking about is that I made the original formula, and it's original purpose was to act as a healing potion for cyborgs."
"What?"
"Remember what I told you about cyborgs?"
"(shakes head)"
"Cyborgs are kind of like your brothers. They have mechanical parts infused with their organic parts so that they can continue with their lives."
"Organic?"
"Do you remember the brains you had to extract when you were first made?"
"(nods)"
"Well, those brains are the organic parts, your brothers' wooden parts and your own metal parts are the cybernetic parts."
"So, I'm . . . part cyborg?"
"You're a simplified cyborg." Chug said.
"Cyborg!" Torch exclaimed, thrusting his arms up in the air.
"Oh, my wee bairn, do you want to be a real cyborg?" Chug smiled.
"Cyborg!"
"Okay, but you're gonna have to wait a while. I need to tend to your brother Blade first. He should be waking up soon and then, if he'll allow it, go into surgery for a new leg."
"Me cyborg." Torch pouted and crossed his arms. "What does 'wee bairn' mean?" he asked.
"It means 'little child'." Chug answered and set Torch down on the ground.
Torch was shocked for a moment, letting the news soak in. 'Child?'
"You stay here and be a good boy, my wee bairn, I've got to see to your brother."
'His wee bairn?' Torch turned around and looked up at his master as he left him alone in the private room. 'His little child?' When the door closed he felt himself going into that same panic attack he had earlier when he was waiting in the hallway, taking deep heavy breaths. He ran to the door and started pounding on it. "Master! Master! Don't go, Master!"
