Chapter 1
The girl who fell from the sky
Earth, United States of America, New York suburbs, 15235 Riveria Dr.
9:14:43 am; Sunday the 15th of August
-One day earlier-
"It's a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Percy Steelman thought to himself as he groomed his flawless garden. And to think the forecaster had called for the typical overcast. Percy stood up and admired his array of tulips and sunflowers which complemented each other surprisingly well. Rose bushes lined the fence separating the house next door. The sweet smell of honeysuckle and jasmine filtered through the air. All beneath Percy's pride and joy, the tall oak tree that towered over most of the garden. Its long limbs reached across the garden, all the way to Percy's window. Placed beneath the tree was an old stone bench, the same bench that Percy's parents met each other on. His masterpiece of a garden was in full bloom, a rare occasion during this time of year. Percy smiled, satisfied with his work. If all those Rockfell kids could see me now. He said to himself. Yeah, I don't think that'd be a good idea. Back in his earlier years Lewis Rockfell and his thugs had stomped out the schools entire garden plot, and then framed Percy by taking a picture of him standing in the newly tossed garden with a trowel in his hand. But to those who knew him well at the time (which was not many people); they knew that Percy was the one who had always kept the gardens clean and lively. When the janitor was fired and the school had trouble finding another gardener, Percy had taken up the job to tend to the rapidly dying garden at every chance he got. Despite this though, the principal had still sentenced him to 3 weeks of detention and clean up after school. The Rockfell goons got away without as much as a referral. And he would have to deal with them at school tomorrow since all of them walked past him during lunch. Percy stepped back to admire his handiwork in his garden, and then put his tools away and went around to his front yard. He lived in a small two story apartment in the center of Long Island, with the shining city of New York glistening in the distance across the shimmering Atlantic. As he pushed the door open, he nearly ran into his little sister, Carmen, who was just on her way out to do shopping. "Hey Percy, you finished with your…addiction?" Carmen always was always teasing about his gardening habits. He liked to call his gardening a "guilty pleasure" or even a "therapeutic way to relieve stress", but his sister taunted him nonetheless, saying she would never have expected her brother to enjoy the company of his feminine side. "Yeah, I just finished." He replied with an edge in his tone. Carmen smirked, "Well, Mum and Dad where on the phone earlier, and they said once you were finished with your…work, to call them back." Percy pondered over her words. Wow. Mom and dad wanted me to call them? I haven't heard from them, in almost a year now. Percy's parents were hardly ever home. His mother worked for a telecommunications industry that was based overseas and his father was an archeologist, always off on some adventure whether it is in the rocky Himalayas or the Amazon rainforest. But they hardly ever talked except on the occasional phone call or on holidays even. This situation however, left Percy and Carmen to manage the household themselves. Percy picked up the phone and dialed a two way call so he could talk to his mother and his father. The phone rang three times before his mother picked up. "Hello this is Christina Steelman, telecomm manager of-," Percy cut her off, "Hi Mom." He said cheerily. "Percy sweetie, how have you been?" Percy's mother was the sweetest woman alive. "I'm doing great mom, you?" She responded with a quick hesitation. "Well-I've been good dear but I'm- I'm slightly worried honey. Weather news reports for New York is a category 2 hurricane is coming in from the south, and I wanted to warn you before it got there. Forecasters are claiming this is another out of the blue storm, so it could be hazardous. From what I understand the storm is still a ways away, but you'll have be ready." Percy was already trying to figure out how to get to the nearest shelter. "Okay mom, thanks for the info, so what's up with da-," Percy was cut off by static with his dad yelling at the top of his lungs. "Gerionimo! Woooooh!" Percy laughed at his dad's humor. "Hey dad, you going somewhere?" Percy said stifling a laugh. "Yeah I am Percy, right now I'm snowboarding down the side of Mount Everest, and it's AWESOME!" His mom piped up next "Yeah well if you break a leg and I won't be there to play Nurse Ouchie on you." She said sternly. This caught dad off guard, "Honey? Is that you?" Mom smirked, "You bet your bottom dollar it is." Dad laughed playfully, "Its good to hear from you again." he said with a spring, "Oh, that reminds me, hey Percy, I checked the reports and you got one heck of a wicked stor-," Mom cut him off with, "I already told him Robert." Dad stopped, "Ah I see. Well, good luck kiddo, now I gotta bolt, I think I caused a bit of an avalanche…" Percy heard a distant rumbling in the phone and his dad came back on again. "See you guys later. Love you Christina, and good luck my son! Toodles." And with a flourish in his voice dad was gone to deal with racing an avalanche. "I'm sure he'll be alright, this isn't the craziest thing he's done. Maybe when we get home for the holidays he can tell you about when he proposed to me right after he pushed me out of a plane." Percy smiled, "Okay mom, I'll talk to you later." His mom paused, before replying. "Be sure to stay safe sweetheart. I love you." Percy smiled, "I love you too mom. Come home soon." With that, Percy put the phone down. He leaned back into a nearby chair. While he waited for his sister to return, he switched on the television to see breaking news featuring the incoming storm. The hurricane ripped across the city of Columbia, South Carolina. Percy watched in awe as the viscous winds toppled an apartment complex. Lightening crackled and struck a nearby tree, setting it ablaze. The city had already been evacuated, but apparently a few cocky storm chasers decided to get footage of the madness. Suddenly, Percy watched as the camera was placed on the ground, the frame shuddering as it fell with a thud. A crack appeared on the screen as Percy listened to the panicking calls of men yelling to each other. Just before the film shut off, Percy saw a flash of light strike from a nearby park. More lightening crackled as a figure approached the fallen camera. Percy noticed the person was bearing a red baseball cap, its distinct Yankee emblem shining. The figures identity was difficult to read, but it appeared to be a young man, no older than Percy. The shadowed figure smiled, and the camera went black. Percy recoiled as he'd just noticed he'd been sitting on the edge of the chair. The channel cut back to the reporter frantically attempting to address questions arising from the once live footage. Percy shut off the television, sprinting up to his room on the second floor. He opened his door to reveal his bedroom. The window was cracked open, allowing the curtains to flow in the light breeze. His bed sheets were tucked in, crisp and clean. But Percy's point of interest was the object that lay on his bookshelf. Between The Count of Monte Cristo and The tales of Aesop lay his father's baseball cap. The red hat shone in the morning sun, its Yankees logo clear and bright as day. That's one heck of a coincidence. Percy thought to himself. From downstairs Percy heard the front door open, and then slam shut. He ran back downstairs to see his sister unloading groceries on to the countertop. He approached her, quickly saying, "Did you see the news?" Without hesitation or acknowledgement, she replied with a curt, "No." Percy immediately detected something in his sisters tone. He stood closer to her, stopping her from finishing unloading the groceries. "Hey. What's wrong?" She pushed her hair back and looked at him. She had a small scratch on her lip. A small cut glistened red. He eyes were wide and angry. "Rockfell tried to harass me on my way home." Percy grabbed a nearby cloth and cleaned the blood from her face. "That's terrible. He needs to be dealt with." Carmen smirked. She took the cloth out of Percy's hand and set it on the counter. "Like I said Percy. He tried." She pulled a small object out of the grocery bag. A front tooth shone in the sunlight, which Percy could only assume to be Rockfell's own. Percy laughed, immediately understanding. She smirked with him. "Right after he hit me, I managed to slug him across his cheek. Apparently I hit him hard enough." She tossed the small tooth into the trash can and continued to unload groceries. Carmen had always been good in a scrap, ever since she was young. Despite Percy's size and weight she wouldn't hesitate to tackle him, and in her later years, she managed to hold her own just fine. She closed the fridge as she put the milk away, glancing at Percy for a moment. "By the way, Rockfell was pretty upset when I left him on the ground. I can only imagine he's planning on taking it out on you tomorrow, so watch your back." Percy frowned. He wasn't as much as a fighter at his sister. He'd never really had problems with anyone so he wasn't experienced in brawling. His sister had given him small amounts of schooling when she'd attempt to wrestle with him, but other than that, Percy was pretty harmless. Nevertheless, he knew he'd have to avoid Rockfell tomorrow, just so he wouldn't have to deal with the unnecessary attitude from the drama queen. As the sun rose over the sky, Percy updated his sister on the news that had come in, and the strange character he'd seen in the footage. Carmen seemed mildly interested, but she always seemed distant, her eyes staring away from him. They ate lunch on the porch of their small suburban house, enjoying the soothing breeze that shook the nearby trees. Before long the sun was setting over the Atlantic ocean. The sky was dyed red as they ate their dinner, listening to the distant noise of the nearby city until the street lights came on. After a quick read of his newest book "Time with the Conways", Percy went to bed, concluding a usual Sunday for him. However, this was the last day for awhile in which Percy would call it anything but normal.
Percy woke up at 6:45 in the morning, as per usual. His alarm clock rang, singing, "If you like Piña Coladas…".As much as he wanted to keep sleeping and enjoy the song, he stood up and tapped the clock, shutting it off. A storm was overhead this tragic Monday morning, bringing forth another five days before he could relax again. Heleft for school at seven o'clock, giving him plenty of time to walk. As he entered the school grounds, rain began to fall. He'd managed to stay relativity dry, flicking rain off his coat. As he dried himself, he heard a quiet voice come from nearby. "Hi Percy." He looked up from his pants to see Katelyn Booker. She had straight brown hair, deep blue eyes, and soft pale skin. She smiled pleasantly and waved at Percy. He smiled back, attempting to keep himself together. Katelyn had been his crush ever since they'd first met. He'd always do his best to be around her whenever he could, however he hadn't worked up the courage to tell her how he felt. He put his backpack into his locker, closed the door, and did his best to casually waltz over to where she stood. "How was your weekend?" Katelyn shrugged, apparently not very excited. "My family's off on a vacation to Europe, so it was just me. Typically I enjoy having a house to myself, but it was really boring." She fixed her hair with a mirror placed inside her locker. After closing her locker, she began to walk to class, Percy strolling right beside her. "How about yourself?" Percy did his best at a calm smile, but before he could reply, he was interrupted by a loud calling voice. "Hey Percy! Percy!" Percy paused to see none other than James Packer approaching him. James clapped Percy on his back. "Hey dude." He seemed to notice Katelyn last. "Oh hey, Kaaatelyn." He winked at Percy and gave his classic grin. James had been Percy's best and only best friend since they were young. As soon as they both met on the swing set in kinder garden, they really hit off with each other. However James had an incredible knack for his poor timing, like right now. He knew about Percy's heartache for Katelyn and instead of helping, just teased and goaded him about it. The first bell rang, signifying the remaining five minutes to get to class. As the bells finished ringing, Katelyn flinched. She hated being late for class, and immediately turned and ran. "See you around Percy!" Within a few moments she was out of sight. Percy walked to class accompanied by James, catching up on the weekend events. Percy said goodbye to his friend and sat down in class. His teacher had was always interesting to listen to as she talked, so Percy settled in as she began the history lesson. Time seemed to blur for the next few hours of school. He was eating lunch with James and Katelyn when the announcement bell came to life. "Attention all students and staff. This is not a drill. There is a hurricane approaching the New York area. It is moving at unusual speeds and direction. Please calmly evacuate the area and proceed to the nearest shelter." James smiled and pumped his fist. "I didn't do my physics homework last night, so this works out." Sammy slapped his leg and proceed to walk to the nearest exit. "We've got bigger things to worry about stupid." They all began to file out of the school, unaware of what was happening just outside Earth's atmosphere.
Lily:
Jumping through that wormhole made Lily feel queasy. However, she was more concerned about where she happened to be in the galaxy rather than what her stomach was telling her. She surveyed her surroundings as she drifted through open space. The green lush planet she saw on her way in was still there, delicately place like a beautiful glass marble. "So MACK, what's the stats on this one here?" MACK, her personal A.I. companion and spacesuit came to life at her command. "We happen to be very lucky Lady Lily." MACK lit up the screen on her visor with information regarding the planet below them. As she read, MACK rambled on about the atmospheric pressure and climate of the planet. She continued to read as she came across details regarding the species that inhabited this 'Earth'. She closed the data library and began to propel the suit straight for the planet below. "Nothing seems particularly too dangerous. Lets pop in for a visit." MACK, being his usual self, had something to say about her comment. "Lady Lily, I believe this is unwise." Lily rolled her eyes. "Why do you say that?" MACK paused. "Well, other than the possibly outdated information we found, we know nothing of this planet. What if these 'Earthlings' aren't friendly to extraterrestrials? We could be walking into a trap." Lily cursed her robot for being too smart sometimes. "Okay fine point taken, but were going anyways. The database said that the earthlings have been searching for life among the stars for a very long time." MACK was silent for only a few moments before replying. "Fine. However, battery power is very low. I will not be able to maintain the shields and the life support during entry to the atmosphere." Lily cursed. She stopped the suit and thought. Her eyes lit up as she felt a small bracelet tap against her wrist. The device had been a gift from her Uncle Rorqual. Lily could use it to teleport from her current location to another. The coordinate mechanic was broken, so she wouldn't be able to determine where she would wind up. But in her current situation, that was better than burning up in the atmosphere. "Okay MACK. Activate the shields and disable life support on my command. I'm going to beam down." MACK sighed at his mistress's stubbornness, but quietly continued the descent. Moments later MACK spoke. "We are five minutes from impact." Lily tapped her bracelet and it began to warm up. "Now MACK. Come find me as soon as you can." MACK silently complied, shutting down the oxygen tanks and pooling all remaining power to the shields. "See you around MACK." The A.I. replied with a curt. "I will be as quick as I can." With that Lily dissolved into light, teleporting down to the planet below.
Percy:
As they filed out of the school, Percy accompanied Katelyn on their journey to the shelter. As they walked, Percy felt the need to spill his feelings. He may not get another chance to confess, and as bad as a time it might be, Percy had to do it. "Hey Katelyn." Katelyn turned to Percy with her shimmering blue eyes, the lightening reflecting in them. "What's up Percy?" This intimidated Percy, watching her eyes flash, but he had to do this. "I just-" From behind Katelyn Percy saw something hurtling towards them. "Look out!" He tackled Katelyn out of the way just as a car landed where they were standing. Percy managed to spin himself so Katelyn landed on top of him. His head struck the ground, causing his vision to shudder. Katelyn stood up, shaking profusely. She helped Percy to his feet, asking "Are you alright?" Percy took a moment to breathe before he replied. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine." They both turned to the wreckage that nearly killed them. A minivan had struck the concrete on the street, and then smashed into the building. Glass shards littered the ground and small groups of fire scattered around the area. Percy turned to his left and what he saw made his blood run cold. The colossal hurricane was moving their direction, leaving a wake of destruction in its path. Debris began to rain from the sky, missing them by only a throws length. A telephone pole struck a nearby building and wedged itself in a window. Percy skipped his feelings. Now was obviously not the time. The priority was getting safely to the shelter. He grabbed Katelyn's hand and began to run. "C'mon! We need to get out of here!" They both sprinted the remaining distance. As they turned the corner of 2nd and April street, Percy saw the shelter. It was a concrete building decorated with mural art stuck between a small café and a bank. They began to close in when the unthinkable happened. Percy slipped, his shoes losing their traction in a puddle. He fell down, slamming himself on the concrete of the street. He cursed to himself and picked himself up. Katelyn stopped to help him but he waved her off. "Don't worry about me. Get to the shelter. Go!" She saw the stern look in his eyes and continued to bolt for the door. She swung the shelter door open, holding it for Percy. He was less than 20 feet from the door when Katelyn's eyes flashed in fear. "Percy! Look out!" and with that she slammed the door closed. Before Percy could think, a grand piano slammed into the shelter door, blocking entry to the building. Now panicked, Percy stopped a moment to admire his terrible luck. He turned and ran to the next street, on route to home. His house had a small storm cellar inside, and it was only a few minutes away if he ran. Unfortunately it was his only option. As he passed through the central park,he turned to see the storm on top of him. The cloud swelled over him, tossing anything that wasn't tied down like a child would with toys. Suddenly, he saw something flying through the eye of the storm. The small object seemed to be going incredibly fast, as it was surrounded in a bright yellow light with a small trail of speckled dust behind it. It zipped quickly through the center of the storm and crashed to the ground without a sound. A few moments later the sonic boom followed behind it as the shockwave pushed the hurricane in every direction, causing it to break apart. The clouds practically were hurled away, and now the object was about 100 yards away, and it was still bouncing and skidding along the ground. Percy then not only realized it was a humanoid shape, but also that it was headed straight for him, still going about 50 miles per hour. "Uh-oh." He thought as he started sprinting away from the object. The object bounced and skid so much that Percy winced to think of what was happening to whatever it was, if it was even alive. He kept running until he felt something touch him. The fallen object had caught up to him. Now going about 20 miles per hour, the object seemed to have put him in its grasp. It grabbed his arms and brought him close, turned on its back so he wouldn't get hurt as they eventually slowed down. Percy winced as he kept getting bruised by the suit when they tumbled over the ground. The object that was holding on to him had hit the sidewalk and lost most of its momentum as its head struck the curb. Finally, with one last tumble, they both flipped over and landed in the grass, Percy first. "Owwwwwww….."He complained as his head hit the firm but soft ground. The now visibly damaged object landed on top of him, pinning him down, collapsing on his chest, winding him. After Percy assessed his wounds, which were just a few bruises and scratches, he looked up at the armored figure still on top of him. Percy's was so emotionally strung out he simply said, "Are you alright?" The figure didn't respond. Percy managed to slide out from underneath the body then flipped it over so it was facing the sky. The armor was decorated with beautiful circular designs, creating a mesmerizing pattern. It seemed to be almost unscathed from the fall, aside from the fact it had a huge dent in the visor. It appeared to be a feminine figure, with curved arms, legs and torso. Percy put his head down to the visor to try to see inside, but he couldn't make out any sort of figure in there at all. He looked over the armor again, and noticed a small piece of the chest plate that was flashing light blue. Percy knew he shouldn't touch the button; he had no idea what it would do. But nothing else was working so he gave the little button a light tap. From inside, he could hear what sounded like latches unlocking, and he stepped back as the entire suit began to open down the middle, as if the strange armor was designed to do so. As it began to unravel like a zipper, Percy realized that there wasn't anything inside the suit; it was just an empty shell. It's empty? How did it catch me? Suddenly, a blue light lit up the entire suit and it began to close, Percy took a step back as the suit came to life on its own, clearly some kind of AI robot. The suit then stood up, and began looking around, as if surveying the area. Its vision then locked on Percy. Percy was paralyzed, he knew if he ran this thing was likely to chase after him. The two stood there for a few moments, staring at each other, when the suit began to talk. "My apologies, earthling, I did not anticipate that I would be skidding across the ground at the speed of sound." Percy was shell-shocked. The suit spoke up again. "I must have frightened you quite a bit. I can see your heart race escalating and you are beginning to persperate." The suit began to walk towards him, and it looked at him "Oh goodness, I haven't introduced myself." It offered its hand "I am MACK, a mark 2 dropsuit designed and customized by Lady Lily, eldest daughter of Lord Melosartifex." Percy screamed like a girl. The suit slapped a hand over his mouth. "My sincerest apologizes human, but if the local authorities discover me, I may have some serious trouble getting to Lady Lily." Percy batted his hand away. "This is freaking insane, I just got saved by an alien robot that has a perfect English dialect." The alien looked at Percy quizzically and said, "I did in fact initially speak this dialect when I landed here, human. Such a smooth language, I truly enjoy it." The suit then stepped closer and said, "I have learned that each human on this planet has a name, an identification word that represents each person. What is yours? Unless, you would prefer me to call you human." Percy stared at the AI robot. "Uhhh….my na-me?" he said stupidly. The robot replied with "Yes, your name, it typically contains a vowel." Percy replied with strength in his voice this time, "My name is Percy…Percy Steelman." The robot seemed puzzled. "Percy…what an interesting name. According to Earth's records, Perseus was a Greek hero. Percy Spencer was the co-inventor of the microwave oven. Percy Fawcett explored most of Southern America, and then disappeared without a trace. Tell me, Percy…are you famous?" Percy was stupefied by this machines capability to know all these things. "Um, no I'm not actually, but nowadays that's almost a good thing." The robot looked down thoughtfully. "I see." It said "My home planet had famous persons as well, but from what I understand being famous there is a lot like being famous here. It makes one quite mad with power." The robot, MACK as he called himself, seemed to dwell on this. Percy piped up "So…what brings you to earth then?" The robot perked up. "I was helping my mistress escape from her father, Lord Melosartifex, even though I told her it was unwise. We went through a wormhole just as we were almost captured, and that wormhole took us here. My systems failed as we entered the atmosphere, and she teleported away somewhere to stay alive while I took the impact. And now I have to find her signal." The robot then activated something from the inside and a little satellite dish popped out of his shoulder. He began to circle around, making the little dish twirl all over the place. Then suddenly the dish began to light up and beep nosily. The robot puffed up triumphly. "Hah! I found her, she's that way!" Percy looked at the robot quizzically. "Allow me to walk with you; if someone sees you walking alone they are going to get suspicious." The robot looked at him and said, "And how will walking with you make me look less suspicious?" Percy turned towards MACK and said, "You could pass of as some cosplayer if you walk with me, and besides i need someone to talk with after everything that has happened today." MACK studied him. "Alright, let's be off then." The robot began walking directly east. Percy stopped him "Whoa, Whoa, there, you go that way and you'll have to go through the Atlantic Ocean. Follow me; we need to go around the water. Just follow me." The robot paused, the replied with, "Very well Percy, lead the way." And with that they were off to find Lady Lily.
Lily:
Lily had teleported successfully and safely, but she had no idea where she was. She had warped into a room with a window and a skylight. In the far corner of the room was a neat bed with all the sheets done and tucked in. Next to that was a small table with a lamp on top. The wall with the window was decorated with beautiful pictures of all sorts of colors that Lily couldn't help but admire. The wall behind her was a huge bookcase filled from top to bottom with all sorts of different books and novels. She walked over to one of the shelves. If this planet is to be my new home, I'd better teach myself the language of the species that live here. She picked off a book from the case and was puzzled in that it was her own language. She had read halfway through her book when she heard someone come into the house she was in, and they seemed out of breath. "Where the heck is Percy…" The person said. It sounded like a little girl, no older than 11. She heard the girl walking around then she heard a "wumfh" that sounded like the girl had plopped down on a couch. Moments later the little girl was snoring quietly. She's asleep, so I'm assuming she is going to be out for a while. Lily continued reading 20,000 leagues under the sea, and Captain Nemo was about to fight off a giant squid. She gripped the book with excitement. Hopefully MACK finds me soon, I couldn't be that far away… Lily then sat back down on the bed and continued reading.
Percy
They had been walking for hours now, and Percy began to notice that they were walking through his neighborhood. "My house is just a few blocks down from here." He said to MACK. MACK studied him. "I have read that humans live within a family, or their close relatives. Do you live with your family Percy?" Percy gazed up at the now dark sky, studying the array of stars. "Just my little sister Carmen. My mom has work overseas, and my dad is an archeologist, so we hardly ever talk. But we get together during the holiday season every year." The robot seemed to ponder on this. "I see. Back at Lady Lily's home, if a family member acquires a job, the entire company must either move their location to your immediate family, or create a way to make sure you never have to leave your family for a long time, yet allow you to work. Teleporters are commonly used to prevent entire corporations from having to pack their bags and move out." Percy was stunned. " Teleporters, huh? Those species must be incredibly advanced." MACK nodded enthusiastically, "Yes, the Materians have been around nearly seven million years so they have had plenty of time to…oh dear." MACK began to stumble and wobble as he walked. Percy grabbed him and supported him up. "What's wrong MACK?" MACKs eyes began to dim. "My main power conduit is shutting down. I am currently 'running on empty' as the saying goes." And with that the robot totally collapsed. "Well I'm not going to just leave you here; I guess you can spend the night at my house." Percy said. Percy picked up MACK and put him in the piggy back position, struggling under the weight of the heavy robot. As he walked down his street, he saw the lights were on in his house, in his room to strangely enough. "Carmen! She got home safe!" Percy began to jog and as it turned out carrying the equivalent of his own weight was harder than he expected. As Percy reached the door, he had to put MACK down to open it and as he went grab the doorknob, Carmen opened it and gave him a huge bear hug. "Oh my goodness Percy! I'm so glad you are alright!" Her gaze shifted to the collapsed robot and she screamed. "What on this green earth is that thing?!" Percy smiled, "This is MACK, long story. Let me in and I'll explain." Percy picked up MACK and walked inside. "Well make sure his feet are clean! I just vacuumed the entire floor." She said with edge in her voice.
Lily:
As she was just finishing 'Of Mice and Men', Lily heard some commotion downstairs, outside the room. Someone had entered the house, and they were grunting and walking heavily. She heard a males voice talking to the smaller feminine voice. She was tempted to go down and reveal herself, but she felt that would get her into trouble. She was doing her best to listen in on the conversation downstairs. She knew it was rude, but she needed some kind of information, if anything. She thought she heard the masculine voice say MACK, but she wasn't sure. I really hope MACK is ok, I'm sure he couldn't have run into any trouble. Then she heard something flop down on a couch, and then heard the two other humans sat down with loud 'Pfffffss' . There is something else down there…she whispered to herself. She needed a better hearing place. She opened up the door without a sound and looked around, there were two other doors and a staircase leading downward, where the voices were coming from. I hope MACK finds me soon…She thought as she crept down the carpet staircase.
Percy did his best to make sure he gave Carmen all the details about the robot lying on her couch. He also explained to her how MACK was the bodyguard and companion of this princess whose father ruled most of the known universe. "…and I think I've told you all of today's events." He said calmly. Carmen looked slightly shaken by this. "Ok, well I believe you in that this is the truth, but if this is her bodyguard, then where is this 'Lady Lily' located?" Percy was curious at this question as much as Carmen was. "If I knew, MACK would already be with her-," Percy was cut off by a high beeping sound coming from MACKs visor. The little satellite dish was going haywire and a message from the robot began to play. "Lady Lily, this is MACK. Trust code 17258. Repeat Lady Lily, this Is MACK one and I am aware of your presence." The voice then shut off and MACK was silent once again. Carmen stared at the strange robot. "That is one weird machine." Carmen said with no exaggeration in her voice. Suddenly, footsteps began charging down the staircase and Carmen's jaw dropped. "Nobody else should be in this house! Unless maybe…" Percy finished her sentence. "Lady Lily has warped into our house."
Lily:
Lily spun around the corner into what appeared to a living room, and came face to face with two humans, who were staring at her, a young male and a small female, mouths agape in shock. "Hi!" She said cheerfully. She scanned the room until she saw MACK stretched out on the couch, his arms and legs splayed and a huge dent in his helmet. "Oh goodness MACK are you alright?!" MACK didn't respond. Lily rushed to his side and put her hand to the forehead of the robot. "His batteries are empty; he just needs some time to recharge…" Lily said thoughtfully. The boy behind her spoke up. "I'm assuming you're Lady Lily?" Lily spun around and looked at the earthling. "Yes." She said shyly. "My name is Percy Steelman; this is my sister, Carmen Steelman." He pointed to the girl across the room. "Hi." Carmen said with a big smile on her face. This was the first time anyone on the outside of the palace had spoken to her. "How did you come across him?" Lily inquired to Percy. Percy laughed and said "Well it started when he landed on me, and then he saved my life. I walked with him while we were looking for you when he suddenly collapsed. Is he alright?" Lady Lily was puzzled. This…Percy had made friends with MACK? "Yeah, he's fine; he just needs a few hours to recharge. After that he will begin repairs on his system, and then he will be fully functional again. Percy nodded quietly. "He told me everything, you know. How you were running away…" Lily lightly cursed her robot. MACK had such a blabber mouth at times. Percy explained to Lily what had happened, how MACK had dissipated the hurricane and saved Percy in the process. "Are you going to take me home?" Lily finally said. Percy looked at her, then to Carmen and laughed loudly. "Even if we wanted to, I don't think we would be able to. I don't think you know this but the human race just recently went into space, so our kind is still taking baby steps in space travel. If you need a place to stay while you are visiting earth, we have a guest room down the hallway." Lily was shocked. A human had just been informed that an alien had teleported into his bedroom, then after experiencing what he had today, and he was still willing to lend a hand to someone. "Thank you; you are a very kind human." Percy smiled widely. "Hardly." And with that Percy stood up and said to her, "This way." Lily stood up and walked up the stairs with him. "While I was here waiting in your room, I read most of the books in your bookcase." Percy looked at her and said. "I'm impressed; apparently you're a much more avid reader than I. You can borrow them as much as you like." Percy opened the door on the left side and showed her in. "You can stay here for now." He said as he opened the door. The room wanted to make her jump up and down in joy, but Astral and his two space jockeys standing on the rug ruined the image. "Lady Lily…" Astral said with confidence. "I'll admit it wasn't easy getting here, with that stunt you pulled involving a wormhole generator, but now it is time to come home."
