CHAPTER II
Revelations and Contemplations
"Change happens faster than you might think. Prepare yourself for the inevitable and chose wisely, the ones you trust."
R.D.M.
Mrs. Wakeman's lab
Seconds turned into agonizing minutes as the pressurized gas from the chamber filled the room, giving it an eerie sense. The low hum picked up a few octaves momentarily, then suddenly stopped. The humanoid figure lurched into an upright sitting position with surprising speed, causing the group to jump, except for Jenny, "I'm not taking any chances..." She spoke the words softly but, the sound of her laser limb snapping into place said she meant it. The robots optic covers zipped open, reveling bright white eyes with no pupils, shining brightly through the fog of pressurized gas. Sheldon shuddered behind the iron maiden when his eyes caught site of the cold emotionless face. It's posture and expression seemed to embody the stereotypical homicidal robot. Slowly, his head began to spin counter clockwise, while emitting a thin, vertical white light from it's optics. Inch by inch, it's gaze sweep the room.
"What's it doing?" Brad asked in a whisper.
"He's scanning the area..." Jenny whispered back.
"How can you be sure?" Brad asked again.
"It's what I would do..." Jenny replied. Finally, it's gaze found and rested upon the group. Jenny positioned her weapon 6 inches from the robots optic center point. The entire group held it's breath and exhaust. An audible click sounded from the robots head and coal black pupils instantly appeared in it's optic lenses. Jenny stared straight into it's eyes, no words need be spoke, as her look indicated her level of conviction. The strange robot's stare left Jenny's only to cross as it scanned the object aimed at it's forehead. A second later, and the cold calm demeanor of the robot melted into one that can only be described as sheer panic. A quick Whirr was the only warning as, at speeds only registered by artificial eyes, the bot rolled backwards from it's sitting position and out of the chamber, landing upright on it's feet. Upon hitting the floor, he eased backwards until his back pressed against Mrs. Wakeman's chalkboard, knocking a few items to the floor.
"Ooookaaaaay? What's the deal? It's like he's afraid of us something." Brad chimed in, breaking the silence.
"Hmm...Judging from his body language, I would have to say you're right. If he's capable of emotions, then that means he has a highly advanced AI, probably capable of communication on some level..." Sheldon responded.
"Oh for Pete's sake!" Nora pushed to the front of the group, easing aside her daughter's weapon, "It doesn't take a P.H.D. to see the poor thing is scared half to deactivation!" Nora cautiously approached the robot with a smile. She stretched her arms out to her side, in a non-threatening manner, "Ahem! WE. MEAN. YOU. NO. HARM." She said in a loud obnoxious tone, Jenny slapped her hand to her forehead with a Clank! The alien simply stared at her with fear in it's eyes. Seeing that this was getting her nowhere, Nora took a quick look around, looking for a means to bridge the communications gap. Her face lit up when she noticed a stick of chalk the bot had knocked to the ground as it backed into chalkboard. She scooped up the utensil and approached the board. The robot scooted away to the far side. She scribbled a few illegible lines on the board, then offered the chalk to the robot. The creature gave her a questionable stare. Nora tossed the chalk over, he batted at it awkwardly for a moment before he caught it. He starred at the chalk and back at Nora, confused. He began scanning the the object in his hand then Nora's scribbles.
"I don't get it...Whats going on?" Brad asked anxiously.
"SSSSSHHHH! Have a little respect! Can't you see Jenny's mom is making first contact with an alien artificial intelligence? We're seeing history unfold before our eyes!" Sheldon exclaimed quietly.
"Boring history...Just write something on the board already!" Brad shouted at the robot. Jenny clamped her hands on the boys mouths.
"That's enough you guys! Let my mom make history in peace!" She removed her hands after she had silenced them. The robot looked at Brad, more puzzled than ever, then back to the chalkboard. It made a few scribbles on the board for itself, testing the experiment before it. It seemed to understand the concept and soon, it's hands where moving at a human eye blurring pace. In moments, it filled half the board with numerous equations and drawings. As if satisfied with it's work, it took a seat in Mrs. Wakeman's rolling chair.
"Look Sheldon!" Nora sounded as if she had won the Nobel prize again, "Math! He's trying to communicate with mathematics! We just need to decipher these equations and relate them to the images he drew!"
"Math, it truly is a universal language!" Sheldon exclaimed while looking over the board. Jenny and Brad decided to simply introduce themselves.
"Hey there guy! So, how's space these days?" Brad asked in his typical no big deal way, "I been there few times myself you know." The bot simply gave him a puzzled look.
"I'm pretty sure he has no idea what you are, much less what your saying..." Jenny explained.
"Fine, Miss Know-it-all...How do you suppose we talk to him?" Brad asked.
"Hmm...I think mom has a beta version of my language program around here somewhere..." Jenny trailed off as she began searching over her mothers cluttered computer station, "I will never understand why she tells me to clean my room." Brad starred at the bot with folded arms, studying it. The robot starred back with equal interest. After a short starring match, something caught Brads eye.
"What do we have here... " His face lit up, "Aha!...language software located!" He said in a victorious tone as he grabbed a disk from the floor by the desk Jenny was searching, "How do we know he can even use this?" Brad asked as he held up the golden colored CD.
"Let me see that." Jenny said, grabbing the disc, she dusted it off and read, "XJ language systems algorithms. Well...I don't know, but it's worth a shot." After a few, in Jenny's opinion, comical hand gestures from Brad, she handed the robot the disk. It scanned the new item then, opened it's mouth to reveal a disc reader and popped it in, "Well, he does seem harmless...Lets check with mom and Sheldon while he's downloading." Jenny suggested. The two friends trotted over to the scientific duo. Jenny never really took her sensors off the robot.
"Agreed. These are definitely coordinates of some kind. I'm very impressed Sheldon, I haven't seen anyone decode a binary algorithmic equation that quickly in ages." ( Not since myself that is. ) Nora complimented, and thought to herself. Sheldon looked down and scratched at the silky black hair on the back of his head, "Now, if we solve this equation here, I believe we will have a more narrow field of search."
"So, what have you found so far?" Jenny asked.
"Not much other than these coordinates, we applied them to the circular image he drew but we're not quite sure what they are. We're trying them against known locations but, nothing important seems to be at any of the points so far..." Sheldon replied in a slightly frustrated tone.
"Well, you've only been at for a few minutes, you'll figure it out." Jenny said smiling, boosting the the love-struck teen's confidence.
"Uh, Jenny? I don't mean to be rude but, can't you read binary?" Sheldon asked.
"Yeah..." She answered half annoyed, "I just don't like to. Let me have a look..." Jenny approached the board and scanned the equations, "Hmm...The coordinates don't match up with anything known to Earth because, he's not from here, He's not even from this galaxy..." She converted her left pointer finger into a laser pen, "See this, 0011010110? It's saying something about an explosion...A big one too! Oh, I get it now! Those are the coordinates of the explosion. " Jenny turned off her laser pointer and folded her arms evaluating the information, "The rest of it is a description referencing the image he drew...It's all in past tense though...Oh! Oh no..." Jenny's demeanor changed, her voice took on a sad tone, "That circle represents his home word...The coordinates indicate where it used to be..." Everyone in the room suddenly had a heavy heart, "He's...The only survivor of his kind..." She couldn't help but feel as though she knew the feeling. Suddenly, her proximity alert went off. She willed around battle ready to see the mystery bot standing a few feet away, hands behind his back with a sad expression.
"...It's w-where I'm from...my h-home..." The robot spoke with a slightly digitized tone. The emotion in his voice came through loud and clear," We where a...ttacked by strange looking robots...We didn't stand a chance. They took everything they could. A big one, with a horn placed a bomb in the planets core...I'm the only one that made it." Shock, at this startling revelation. Awe, at his ability to comprehend the English language so quickly and sadness of his tell left them all momentarily speechless. The slight sound of buckling metal and wining servos revealed Jenny's mood, she clenched her fists tightly.
"The hive..." Jenny said. Nora approached her daughter and placed a calming hand on her shoulder.
"So, what Skyway said is true. The Hive does exist. Even with Vega now in control, the Cluster Prime military is still loyal to the fallen Vexes." Nora said, "They must still be searching for her."
"But why would they go to his world? Why would they harm other robots?" Sheldon asked.
"Well, they're flying through space without backup from Cluster Prime right? They probably ran low on supplies and you guys had what they needed." Brad said rather intelligently.
"Wow, that actually makes perfect sense Brad." Jenny complimented, "What else do you remember?" She asked.
"...Nothing my memory banks are empty." The robot replied.
"Well, It may come to you later. Until then, what do we call you?" Nora asked.
"I...do not understand..." He said.
"Umm, what's your assigned designation?" Jenny reworded.
"I...I can not...process..." He tried to comprehend.
"How about Arnold? You got a strange accent like that guy in those old Sci-fi movies." Brad chimed.
"Arnold? I don't know..." Jenny responded. A rather loud gasp from Sheldon grabbed everyone's attention. He was still reading information from Nora's scan.
"Uh...How about we call him Acel?" He suggested.
"Acel just doesn't sound right...A-cel...Ac-el...Axle! Not bad. I like it." Jenny replied, "What gave you the idea of Acel anyway?" Sheldon nervously scratched the back of his head.
"Uh..heh heh...Anatomically Correct Electronic Life-form." He stated with a blush.
"WHAT?" Nora shouted as she ran to her computer, "Oh my..."
"Well that's just blunt." Brad relied, "What do we do now?"
"I don't know about the rest of you, but the remaining data must be thoroughly read... Not to mention the stasis chamber..." Nora stated.
Brad turned to Axle, "Well, why don't we show you around? I'm sure Tuck would love to meet another freaky robot."
"Freaky...Robot?" Axle asked.
"Brad!" Jenny yelled, "Don't you think your being a little insensitive? Besides your not going out in public dressed like that." Axle simply looked him self up a down, puzzled, "Come on! I bet you got some clothes that will fit him, huh Brad?" Jenny said as she started up the stairs.
"Maybe...I think I got an old sweater vest somewhere..." Brad said as he followed behind Jenny. She turned and motioned for Axle to follow.
"Swe-ter-vest?" Axle asked as the three headed to the door.
"Hold on!" Nora halted the trio, "I can't, in good conscious, let an alien automaton walk about! Especially one that's emitting radiation!"
"Low-level non-threatening radiation mom..." Jenny argued.
"Radiation non-the-less, and after all the trouble the Cluster has caused us in the past, what do you think people's reactions would be to a strange new robot? Why don't you two retrieve the clothing while we run a few more tests." Nora suggested.
"That would be logical... " Sheldon added.
"Fine...We'll be back Axle." Jenny sighed.
"O-ok. " Axle replied. Brad and Jenny turned and exited. As they left the room, Jenny couldn't shake a strange feeling she had about him. Something about him felt...connected to her. Brad noticed Jenny's far away stare as they walked along.
"What's the matter Jen? You need some oil or something?" He asked
"Hmm? No, just...Thinking about everything." She answered.
"Yeah...Things have been changing a lot here lately...You ok?" Jenny sighed.
"Everything's still bolted together... As good as someone with an expiration date can be." She looked away as she spoke.
"You should have told me sooner..." Brad somewhat scolded, "I'm always here for you."
"I know I just didn't want you guys worrying about me. I don't want sympathy, this is just what happens to us robots." Jenny replied, faking acceptance to the whole situation.
"To robots maybe, not to you." The statement brought a little smile to the metallic teens mouth, She turned back to face him. He was smiling too.
Nora's Lab
"Well..." Nora began while reading data off her computer monitor, "You are built like a tank! Unknown metals yielding strengths not seen in anything on earth." Nora stated, "And this "skin" covering you outer exoskeleton...It's astounding to say the least."
"Oh, uh cool?" Axle somewhat asked. He just under went the same scan his stasis chamber did. Sheldon wasn't so much curious as he was skeptical.
"So, do you recall anything about your home world yet?" He asked.
"No. The only files I have are what I have already explained to you." Axle replied while motioning to the chalkboard.
"Odd. You don't recall anything about a place you lived you whole life? For that matter, how old are you?" Sheldon asked sternly with folded arms.
"Sheldon Lee! That is no way to treat a guess!" Nora interrupted his interrogation, "Do you require a charge or oil?" She asked motherly.
"No. I don't charge but, oil would be nice." Axle replied.
"I'll be right back then." Nora said as she headed to the kitchen, leaving Sheldon alone with Axle. The two stared at each other. Axle blankly Sheldon sternly, arms still folded.
"How does a robot from another galaxy drink Earth petroleum or even know what it is?" Sheldon asked.
"I..." Axle looked as though he was searching for the answer himself, "I don't know."
"You know, for a robot, you don't know much." At that time Nora returned with oil followed by Brad and Jenny. Brad was touting some cloths.
"Okay dude! I found my old white long sleeve shirt and some jeans. And here's some old boots of my dads. Robots don't were socks do they?" Brad asked.
"So-cks?" Axle replied.
"Uhhhh, just forget I asked." Brad said.
"You can change in the storage room over there." Nora said, motioning to a door across the room. Axle walked over, pushed the door open walked in an closed it behind him.
"I don't trust him." Sheldon stated bluntly.
"Come on Shell! He just got here!" Brad defended.
"There's to many questions he can't answers. Why can't a robot remember anything about his life?" Sheldon questioned.
"Maybe because he's been through a very traumatic event! Maybe we're more like you than you think." Jenny said flatly, "And another thing about us robots, we have very good audio sensors." Jenny looked at Sheldon with a stern eye. The entire room turned to face the storage room at the sound of the door nob turning. Axle stepped out wearing blue jeans with brown boots and Brads old white button up. Nora took the alien fabric from him and went straight to her microscope.
"Very nice if I must say so. I did pick them out after all." Jenny said, changing the subject, "It just needs a little..." She trailed off as she grabbed Axle's sleeves and rolled them up to just below the elbow, "There!"
"Looking good bro!" Brad complimented.
"Oh, thanks. Now what?" Axle asked.
"Skateboarding, that's what!" Brad exclaimed.
"Skate...boarding?" Axle asked.
"I don't think that's a very good idea..." Nora said, "I think is for the best if Axle stayed here until further study can be conducted."
"I agree..." Sheldon lowly added.
"Please! Please! Please! Please! Please!" Jenny begged, "I promise I'll look after him! I'll monitor the radiation level! I never get to hang out with any robots..." She really poured on the charm, forming a sad, wounded face. Not even Nora could say no.
"Oh alright..." Nora, begrudgingly said. Jenny jumped with joy, "Just be careful!"
"Thank you so much!" Jenny happily replied, "Oh, you'll love it!" Jenny said as she grabbed his hand and practically dragged him out of the door with Brad trying to keep up.
"Wait up! I'm only human you know!" Brad yelled as the three ran out. Axle shot Sheldon a cold stare just before exiting.
Nora shook her head and smiled, "Well grouch, that just leaves you, me and a highly advanced alien stasis chamber that needs a good examination..." Nora said, "If your interested..."
"Yeah...I guess we better get to it..." Sheldon didn't want to give up his skateboarding lessons but, he was very eager to learn more about Axle. He knew something was wrong with the whole situation, "A boy robot just conveniently falls from the sky with no background and everyone falls in love with him...I'll get to the bottom of this!" Sheldon thought to himself as he gathered some tools to join Nora around the chamber.
The skate park
Brad, Jenny and Axle had just finished a very competitive round of skateboarding. Brad was leaned over with his hands on his knees, breathing heavily and sweating a little, "Huff...huff...Man...This was so unfair, you guys aren't even tired! I win on a technicality..." Brad huffed.
"You wish! I had a 36.8% higher success rate than you besides, Axle did better and he's not even from this planet!" Jenny replied.
"About that...how did you just happen to have a skateboard in your feet like Jenny?" Brad asked looking up at Axle from his leaned over position. This even caused Jenny to give Axle a curious eye.
"I uhhh...I just observed Jenny as she transformed her feet. I did a quick scan of the internal structure of my feet and found I had similar components. I just activated the program." Axle said in a slightly digitized tone.
"Well, whatever. I still say foul. Transforming feet and unlimited energy, this so wasn't fair." Brad argued as he grabbed his board and stood up straight, tucking the board between his ribs and bicep as he turned to face his mechanical friends.
"I may have a built in skateboard but I weight 600lbs. Do you need me to carry your 5lb skateboard for you?" Jenny said in a mocking tone, folding her arms as she spoke.
"Ha ha very funny..." Brad replied as the trio began their journey home. They had spent the entire evening skating. The sky above them had begun to turn orange as the sun hung low. After a short period of walking, they reached the point in their path home where Brad and Jenny must go their separate ways, "I had a great time with you today Jen." Brad said shyly, "I'll...see you at school, goodnight." Brad leaned forward and hugged her. The action caught Jenny a little off guard but she returned the embrace.
"Yeah, see you tomorrow Brad." She waved as they turned towards their respective homes. After he was sure they were out of Brad's hearing range, Axle spoke up.
"What was wrong with the human you call Brad?" He asked.
"What do you mean?" Jenny asked back.
"When you two spoke a moment ago, his heart rate elevated. I also observed an increase in blood flow to the facial area. His body language seemed slightly...Erratic." Axle pointed out. Jenny had noticed it to. She just didn't think it was anything important. She now was reviewing the memory file.
"Why did Brad act that way? " Jenny processed to herself.
"Jenny?" Axle snapped her from her trance.
"Huh? Oh, I'm sure it was nothing." The two arrived home shortly after. They continued on through the house into the lab grabbing an oil from the fridge along the way, "Hey mom I'm back."
"Hello dear. So, how did you like skating Axle?" Nora asked.
"It was ...Whats the word? Fun that's it, fun." He replied.
"My your speech has improved! How are you able to do that in such a short time period?" Nora asked.
"I observed the facial expressions and lip movements of Brad and Jenny as they spoke, integrating the data into my language algorithm." Axle replied.
"Amazing! Your C.P.U. is able to learn and incorporate learned data on the go!" Sheldon simply rolled his eyes, "Oh what I would give to get my hands on your data processor specifications..." Nora said dreamily.
"Uuuuh, thanks...I guess..." Axle said a little confused.
"Did you guys figure out anything?" Jenny asked.
"A few things that will definitely help me out with my NASA program, but other than that...Its just a highly advanced stasis chamber." Sheldon replied as he wiped away a little moisture from his brow.
"YAWWWNN!...Whoa, 38% battery left. I think I'm gonna call it an early night guys." Jenny said aloud to no one in particular.
"Goodnight dear. Do you still not require a charge Axle?" Nora asked.
"No, my power core provides me with enough energy, just a little oil every now and then." Axle said.
"Good night guys." Jenny said sleepily as she made her way up the stair case. Sheldon watched Jenny as she walked upstairs and out of the lab. When the door shut, he approached Axle, arms folded behind his back.
"I've been thinking... Jenny is the most advanced robot on Earth, right?" He said aloud, being sure that Nora would over here.
"Well, I don't want to toot my own horn..." Nora said proudly with a smile.
"I wonder... How does Axle compare?" Sheldon asked, his tone dripping with mischief.
"In what context?" Nora asked.
"Battle simulation." Sheldon suggested.
"What an excellent idea! That would give us real world data to compare and contrast the different designs. I may even be able to integrate some elements in my own work." Nora replied excitedly.
"I'm processing the emotion...concern at the moment..." Axle said in a worried tone. Sheldon had a devious grin on his face as he followed them to the simulation are in the backyard.
Later that week
The next few days passed by rather quickly. Sheldon and Nora spent most of their time studying the results of various experiments and scans they tried on Axle. Most notably how he scored higher than Jenny in every category. Strength, speed, and armor all superior to Jenny's. Mrs. Wakeman payed special attention to these areas, takings notes for her designs. Sheldon and Nora both decided to break from their work and enjoy a cup of tea. They had concluded that Axle was of no threat and allowed him to roam freely, so long as he agreed to stay out of sight, "I'm telling you Nora, there's something not right about him. I can feel it in my bones." Sheldon said as he and Nora sipped from their cups.
"He's been extremely patient with our experiments and hasn't shown any signs of being a threat. I think your jealousy is getting the best of you." Nora replied.
"JEALOUSY! I'm not jealous! I'm-I'm concerned...We still know nothing about his origin or missing memory files...And what about the unexplained static showing up in our video recordings? Its like, an unknown signal is being broadcast, crossing up with your cameras frequency." He took a sip from his cup and set it back down, "It took a lot of string pulling, but I managed to convince NASA to point Hubble at those coordinates, and guess what, there's nothing there! Not even a meteor! And definitely no sign of a planetary explosion!" Sheldon exclaimed.
"Maybe we miss interpreted the binary language, We were solving alien equations with Earth math...Besides, I wouldn't antagonize him if I were you. You know as well as I do that he's stronger, faster and tougher than my daughter." Nora explained. Sheldon huffed at her words.
"Well, I've been at it for a while, I think I'm going to call it a day." He stood from the kitchen table, "I just don't want anything to happen to her..." He blushed vividly and excused himself from her house.
"Sheldon, Sheldon, Sheldon...What a mess you are..." Nora thought to herself as she heard the front door slam.
"Misinterpreted his binary language my ass!" Sheldon vented, "Jenny translated it herself! No one believes me! Well, I'll prove he's up to no good! Or better yet...The Silver Shell will!" With determination in his mind, Sheldon ran all the way home and into his garage. There, under a white sheet, was his greatest creation. He quickly pulled the cloth away, opened the hatch, and hopped inside, "Alright Axle! Time to find out who you really are!" The Silver Shell flew out of a hatch in the roof, tracking a small, slightly radioactive trail.
On the outskirts of town
Meanwhile, two best friends were about to embark on a journey of their own. A journey that all teens awkwardly stumble along. Brad and Jenny were sitting on the edge of Tremerton's famous look out point. It was a cool day even though the sun was shining bright. The two were simply enjoying the view, the entire town could be seen from this spot, "Wow, Brad this is really nice. Why did you bring me here?" Jenny asked. She may not get much attention from boys but, she knew this place was very popular among the romantically involved.
"I have something important I want to tell you..." Brad paused long enough to look Jenny in the eyes as he spoke, "I know we've been friends for a long time...And I know you don't have much time left and...I would hate myself if I didn't say it..." Brad was fumbling with his words, "Jen, I-I want to be more than friends..." The words fell upon Jennifer's audio sensors like a beautiful melody, yet they seemed to carry the weight of the world with them. She starred, speechless back at him, not because she didn't like Brad, she truly enjoyed his company and deep down, loved his sense of adventure, she even found him attractive. It's just, she knew the hardships they would face. The world had never really accepted robots with free will, thanks to Vexes. If anyone found out, they would be ridiculed and hated. Not only that but, she had been processing about Axle, and the strange connection she felt with him since day one, like they were made for each other. Literally.
"Brad I..." She paused, her C.P.U. humming with the processes of what the future may hold, "Yes...I would like that." She looked him in the eyes. The two reached towards each others hand until they gently touched. Jenny couldn't feel Brads hand on hers but, she closed her eyes and her circuits went abuzz with the thought of her first real relationship. She knew in the back of her C.P.U. this was wouldn't end well but, for one day she needed to feel wanted. Let the troubles of tomorrow, come then.
Hawaii
Half a world away, Sheldon had tracked down Axle's radiation signature. He was standing on a small over hanging ledge on the side of Mauna Kea. Shell flew up silently and landed about 20ft behind him. The setting sun was shining from in-front of Axle, stretching a long black shadow across the ground with it's fading light.
"I picked up your signal on my radar a while back...Who are you and what do you want?" Axle asked, sounding half awake. Not bothering to turn around.
"I'm The Silver Shell!" Shell bellowed in a deep bar-atone, "And I've been looking for you. My friend Sheldon told me about you and I came to give you a message."
"Sheldon doesn't trust me. What's the message." Axle said a little coldly.
"Err...Well, you better not try any funny business around Jenny or you'll have deal with me! Got it!" Shell threatened.
"I would never harm Jenny, or anyone else. I care about her to much..." Axle's voice drifted a little. This was not the answer Shell expected or wanted to hear, "What do you mean you care about her to much." Shell asked in a mocking tone.
"I don't know...Since the day I met her I've felt...drawn to her, like we're connected..." Axle replied. Sheldon fumed inside, "Look Pal..." Shell walked towards Axle, speaking in a condensing manner, "I've been her friend for a long time you've known her for a few days! I don't trust you or like you! If you even think about-" Axle cut him off, he turned around and met him in his walk. He starred straight up Shells chest into his optics.
"Leave me alone. I'm not here to hurt anyone especially not Jenny! What's your malfunction?" He asked harshly.
"I'm looking out for a friend! Your the one with the problem space boy!" Shell jabbed his giant finger in Axle's chest and slide him backwards a few inches, "And I'm it!" Axle gritted his teeth. He didn't like being pushed. He took a firm stance and shoved Shell hard. Harder than he intended causing, him to sail backwards into the mountain side. Shell recovered and stood up, glaring daggers back at him, "I knew you were dangerous! I'll make sure you never harm her!" Shell sprinted towards Axle a few yards then activated his rockets. Flying low and fast, he caught Axle off guard and tackled him. The two tumbled over and over on the ground trading blows at close range while rolling. Shell's blows weren't causing any damage, only tearing his clothes and damaging the silicon like "skin" around his armor. Axle's blows rang out with the sound of warping metal as they began to dent Shell. The two rolled off the side of the mountain, Shell grabbed Axle by the ankle and used the extra momentum of gravity to throw him down to fast for him to active his rockets. Axle slammed hard through a tree and into the ground leaving an indention. Before he had time to react, he was hit by the Shell's eye lasers, "I've got you in my sights!" Shell gloated, smiling as he landed on the sandy beach and stood battle ready. Axle raised from the hole as the warm Hawaiian air pulled the dust away. He starred back at Shell blankly. The skin like silicon hanging off his chest and face, revealing dull Grey metal underneath. After a second of starring each other down, Axle's muscle plates all slide apart about a quarter inch, ripping the skin even more and revealing black metallic muscle fibers within the gaps, "What the hell?" Shell exclaimed. Alarms sounded inside the Silver Shells armor as Axle's temperature began to rise along with his radiation level. Before Shells optics could even register movement, Axle had landed by his right side. He grabbed Shell's right arm, twisted it one full rotation and with one quick jerk, pulled it clean off. He then elbowed Shell in the rib plate, leaving a huge dent and sending him skipping across the water. Shell activated his flight stabilizing systems and stopped himself only to be grabbed around the face plate by Axle, squeezing just enough to crack his optic lenses. After a moment of silence, Shell had enough and broke the tension, "Do it. You know you want to. We both know deep down, your no good..." Axle released Shell from his grip. The two starred at each other, hovering above the water.
"I'm not going to harm you, your a friend of Jenny's and I'm not evil." Axle said in a deep growl, "I don't understand you at all Sheldon."
"What are you talking about?" Shell asked, faking ignorance.
"I can literally see right through you Sheldon. I can see you care deeply for Jenny, but you've taken it to far. Disguising yourself to stalk her...Its pathetic." Sheldon snarled inside the suit, "Do you even know why I'm out here? She's is on a date with Brad. I came out here to process a few things..." Sheldon was taken back by everything Axle said but, the news of Jenny and brad struck him the hardest,
"She's on a date! With Brad!" Shell exclaimed.
"Yeah...It made me feel...odd. When I seen the two of them at look out point, I just had to get away. If you really care about her, you wont interfere." Shell just hovered in silence. Axle slowly returned to his normal size as he deactivated his power core. He scanned himself and the damage caused by The Silver Shell and sighed, "Well...so much for trying to blend in. I'm going to head back to Wakeman's place." Axle said calmly, "I'll catch you later...Sheldon..." Axle's last sentence was a little more stern sounding. With that Axle flew off, leaving Sheldon to think.
Nora's lab
Jenny had returned home. The mother and daughter were talking about the nice evening Brad had treated her to. Jenny was sitting on a table with her legs dangling off the edge, just a short distance from her mother, "...He even held my hand all the way home." Jenny said.
"It sounds as though you two had quite an evening. You don't seem to excited about it though." Nora pried. Jenny starred straight down at the floor.
"We did it's just that...I don't want all the hate around me to fall on him...I don't have much time left and Brad shouldn't be wasting his reputation on an electronic artificial female..." Jenny replied sadly. Nora turned from her work towards her daughter.
"It's his choice to bare such burden. Bradly is a strong young man, just like his father." A long, silent pause filled the room, "Diane." Nora said, breaking the silence. Jenny looked up at her mother a little confused.
"Diane? Whats that mean?" She asked.
"It's the name I had picked out for my little girl. Until I found out I had lost the ability to conceive..." Nora looked down for a moment then back to her daughter. Her eyes now held a small sparkle in them as tears held fast for years dared to escape, "I never told you this before but, it's the reason I decided to dedicate my life to science...I've been so caught up in my work that...that I failed to see just what miracle I had created only 6 short years ago." Nora walked to her daughter and placed her hands on her shoulders, "I want you to have the name. Jennifer Diane Wakeman." Jenny couldn't hold back her tears as she looked her mother in the eyes.
"Does...does this mean...?" She tearfully asked.
"For now, lets just say your activation day is going to be something else." Nora explained as she hugged her daughter. In the midst of their hug, Jenny detected a familiar presence approaching. She pulled away from her mother and starred in the direction the feelings came from.
"What's the matter dear? Do you detect something?" Nora asked.
"It's Axle, he'll be here in a few minutes." Jenny looked back at her mother, "Mom...There's another reason why I'm not so excited about me an Brad...It's because...I feel a connection towards Axle. Something I've never felt before." Nora sat back in her chair and looked at her daughter puzzled,
"Hmm, you are equipped with numerous wireless connection points and sensory equipment...Is there a malfunction with any of those systems?" Nora asked.
"No, its not any of those but, at the same time it is. It gets stronger the closer we are. It's a wireless connection but...I...I just can't explain it. Its like were on the same frequency, you know?" Jenny tried to explain.
"Jennifer that's impossible. You are equipped with a one of a kind Alpha Type Variable Frequency Timer. Twenty times per second, every operating system in your body switches to a random frequency, making it impossible to hack or control you in anyway. I was court ordered to do something after Todd Sweeney and Dr. Locust managed to gain remote access to your central motor control cortex." Nora explained.
"I know it sounds crazy, but its how I feel." Jennifer sheepishly replied. Nora simply pondered quietly to herself.
"No one on Earth has the ability to duplicate that technology..." She thought.The sound of a rattling door nob broke her train of thought. Axle walked slowly down the stairs. He was greeted by the shocked expression of Jenny.
"Oh, my gosh what happened!" Jenny asked as she ran up to him.
"I had a little run in with a friend of yours...goes by the name Silver Shell." Axle huffed.
"Shell did this? Why?" Nora asked.
"I don't know...He tracked me down. He told me I had better be careful around Jenny or he would deal with me." Axle made quotation marks with his hands as he said deal, "Then he pushed me and I lost my temper..."
"Are you OK?" Jenny asked as the six and a half foot tall robot looked down at him with general concern.
"I'm fine. My skins beyond repair though...Oh well...so much for the human look." Axle grabbed his skin at the waste line and ripped it up and off his entire upper body. His shirt came with it to reveal his bare chassis. His ears came off as well as the hair like fibers. Jenny's coolant began circulating faster, trying to keep her internal temperature down so her cheeks wouldn't glow blue. Axle threw his skin to the side and starred up at Jenny. The two could definitely feel the strange connection now, "I...I better go in the storage room and remove the rest..." Axle said as he turned and walked away. Jenny let out a sigh. Nora patiently observed the the whole scene.
"I'm going out on patrol. I'll be back by ten." Jenny said then exited the lab.
"Strange, very strange..." Nora spoke to herself as she grabbed the skin from her lab floor.
The sky over Tremorton
Jenny had scanned all of Tremerton 37 times in the past hour. No crime which only made things worse. She had nothing else to think about other than Brad and Axle, "I don't know what to do...I don't want to hurt Brad but I can't help these feelings for Axle. It's like I'm drawn to him. I'm so confused ... I know! Vega can probably help!" She stopped in mid air, converted her left pig tail into a parabolic dish and folded out her monitor. The screen read "searching for signal". She waited for about a minute only for the screen to say "Cluster Prime signal could not be found", "What the hell? How can an entire planet full of robots not put a single signal? Maybe I am malfunctioning..." Jenny dismissed the idea and cleared her C.P.U. as she continued her patrol.
Cluster Prime: Three Months Ago
The squeak of a wheel in need of grease could be heard echoing down an immaculate hallway. Rolling past construction bots as they were finishing the new Vega statues. Smiles and "whats up" head nods greeted Drab as he rolled towards the throne room. Past generals would have commanded more respect but, Drab really just wanted to be one of the bots. He stopped at the large doors to the throne room and entered his personal identification access code. The gold trimmed doors slow swung inward, allowing him entrance. Queen Vega was speaking with the Head of Council on the newly formed Civil Militia. Vega glanced to her right quickly at Drab as he entered mid conversation, "I see your point Councilor, it will receive my fullest attention, right now though, it seems my General has urgent news." Spoke the Queen, with all the regalement her title implies. Councilor Chor gave Drab a slightly annoyed glance before bowing to the Queen and taking his leave. Vega waited until the doors closed behind Chor before speaking, "Thanks for the save Drab! So, what's up?" Vega asked cheerfully.
"We just got a report in from Shell." Drab handed Vega a flat thin monitor displaying satellite imagery from the planets defense ring. Vega scanned through the images as Drab spoke, "It's the fleet of Hive ships that escaped 8 data cycles ago. They've returned...Two roach drowns were witnessed carrying a small cargo package." Vega starred intensely at the grainy image showing the roach drones carrying a small white dot in a glass like container, "Intel from Tuff says their putting a lot of resources into bio-mechanical R&D." Vega gripped the the tablet tightly, "Rumors have been bouncing around the Militia...Your the only one I know who can confirm it or not." Drab said. Vega looked back to him with the an intense expression.
"Tell Shell I want around the data cycle satellite observation of the base and tell Tuff to be careful..." Her words carried a worried tone.
"Veg...I have to tell the rest of the Militia something." Drab pleaded.
"Tell them to stay alert, trouble has arrived..."