MAP OF THE PROBLEMATIQUE
Chapter 20: Invincible

The next day, while Sallie was at work, Joe, Lydia and I took him in to get his "surgery;" I had told Lydia we were taking him to the Mecha shop to get him fixed up real good. When we came home, Joe kept low, as to not damage anything.

The kitchen was a flurry of commotion the day after, what with a new day, Lydia's first back at school. The sound of the news on the television added to the mess.

"Alright, Lydds! C'mon, we've gotta go." Sallie grabbed the last piece of bacon off the plate as Lydia downed the rest of her orange juice.

"Coming, Aunt Sallie! Bye, Mommy. See you after school."

"You bet, baby. And- and call me! Call me if you ever want to come home, and I'll come get you right away, okay?"

"Okay."

"And don't talk to strangers, honey!"

"Okay! I still remember stranger danger, Mommy."

I laughed. "Stranger danger... ha." "Bye, sis."

"Bye, Sal. Good luck at work."

"Ugh, thanks. I'll need it." She made a face at me as she left the kitchen making Joe and I laugh.

I sighed, smiling at Joe. "So... are you ready?"

"Yes... I am."

I stood up, grabbed the folder and had Joe swivel his chair away from the table to face me as I crouched down in front of him.

"Breaking news: the latest and quite possibly greatest in Mecha technology, the legend of Pinnochio seemingly come to life. Eighteen months ago it was child Mecha, today it's an advanced microchip allowing for the actual transition from Mecha to Orga. It's taken many years to master this fine science, but within the next three weeks, you will be able to change your Mecha into a living, breathing, honest-to goodness-Orga. This ha-"

I hit the mute button on the television and put the remote back on the table. "Okay, so... it says here..." I read through the instructions again, reaching up to put my hand on the back of Joe's neck. "Can-can you feel my hand on your neck?"

"Yes, I can."

"And I'm not... I'm not hurting you, am I?"

"No, Wendy," he smiled at me gently.

"Good." I sighed. "Okay. Now it says here to read these seven words aloud, and... well, put together, they don't make much sense, or even a complete sentence, really, but I just want you to bear with me and listen to them anyway, alright?"

"Of course." He continued, without blinking, to hold my gaze throughout the conversation, despite my eyes' frequent revisiting of the instruction sheet. I finally took a good look up into those eyes... those haunting eyes that always seemed only ninety-eight percent human. "Right. Here we go." I cleared my throat and started to read off the sheet, keeping my hand placed gently on the back of Joe's neck and making sure to speak up and speak clearly. "Firefly... Ice... Immortal... Medicine... Obsidian... Window... Symphony." I glanced quickly back down at the sheet, and back up at Joe: Your name, their name, your name.

"Wendy... Joe... Wendy."

And I had never seen anything like it in all my life: so subtle, so faint, that if you blinked at all you would have probably missed it. Something came over him as we sat there, gazing into each other's eyes: his features softened, and it almost looked as if that remaining two percent just melted away. Even the heat that rose off the back of his neck to greet my hand changed...

For the first time, Joe blinked. For the first time, a single tear slid down his face. For the first time, his voice quavered. "Oh..." In his eyes, I could see the severity of the past six months came crashing down upon him in a matter of seconds, and, shaking, he gave a sob.

"Wendy."

He was human.

Music: Sheesh, I think that at this point, judging by how many chapters were named after the same freaking band, you guys can guess who did the song "Invincible," the song after which I named this chapter. Here are your hints:
A.) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
B.) Your mom
C.) Muse
Winner gets a cookie and a free hug.