I.

Hogarth looked down as the Giant lay quietly in his arms asleep, a peaceful yet blank face was the only thing he could look at even as the sun arrived over the oddly wrecked lands. The man lifted his eyes to take in what he expected would be his final gaze at the source of all life in his human form and tapped his forehead and heart. Hogarth felt his blue eyes well up with tears as he touched the Giant's forehead once and started to touch his heart.

Before his fingertips made contact with the middle of his friend's abdomen, light from a different source flashed blue in the distance. There was another pulse of it that surged up the shiny metal tubing that Hogarth saw stretched out into the distance and then another.

He gasped as he and the Giant were consumed in this light.

…

"It did not work," Abba said.

She looked upon the elderly people dressed in yellow atop a droid's gray shoulder.

They seemed unfazed that their city was in ruin as they waited for the Android Marketers machine to work; it didn't. In the blinding sun of morning the once beautiful cobblestone roads and well-polished brick homes were nothing but crumpled piles of rubble amongst the huge, twisted fans that were once housed under ground. It was as if the people were so used to the monotony of their daily lives that even having their homes destroyed was not enough to awaken them. Abba turned back as the silver tube and capsule reappeared.

"Perhaps there was a technical glitch," Gold suggested. "It has been so long."

Her adopted daughter gave her an uneasy look. "Yes, I suppose it has." She regained her composure. "Still, I promised these people a continuation of their existence. If not by this then by what…?" Abba's mother was dead silent; and dead-eyed. She seemed so out of it.

When the woman started to go for the ironstone and memory box a brass hand slid out to block her. "Why don't you leave these here, dear? At least until your father's rendezvous."

Abba was still apprehensive. "I do not think so, Mother." she removed the items. Part of her wondered if the clones would rally to her side if something were to happen. Why was she so uncertain of her own mother? "I think I shall return home. Trina is still important."

"Important, is she?" Gold tilted her head back and Abba did the same with her feet.

Sputnik approached her. There were several elderly people beginning to look concerned from the crowds, their matched droids were curious but waited for orders. In all the time Sputnik took picking her up and transmuting in a yellow flash, Abba still felt her mother's eyes on the back of her head. The way she looked at the woman was like two balls of tiny fire piercing into the back of the aircraft. It took seven minutes and she was safely home.

Abba looked from the center of her wide, gilded steps – Sputnik had left for somewhere – and saw not her mother following her but the ghostly solitude of her city. There was no life for miles it seemed, as if the city had been evacuated. Scared to be alone and yet not wanting to be outside, the woman walked up the once awe-inspiring ornamental staircase that had been her home and playhouse. It had been her escape, her vacation spot, her little hangout with friends who were now working in Lower Zephyron or in other hemispheres.

Never had Abba felt so truly and utterly alone.

…

"Are you listening to what I am saying?" Ivan was trying to explain to the frightened man named Tress as his hungry and disheveled cousins huddled behind him. "The droid Golden is in control of this city and all of it's three portions. I did not believe it at first but being in direct contact with a droid allows me to access it's thoughts and with the memory box, it's memories. The city sentries have cleared most of the population out but you need to allow us passage to Abba. Tell us how to get there. Her and all of her accomplices are doomed."

"Uh, Ivan."

"Not now, my boy." He said to Taylor.

"No, Ivan." Jean tried not to sound sarcastic. "Tress is an accomplice."

With that said, the man named Tress found his bearings.

"I am not sure I appreciate all the knowledge you hold, young man." He said.

Just as he walked towards the three boys, a plum-overlapping-lavender droid slipped itself around a tall pile of earth and metal tubing. When the light blonde-haired man saw her he nearly fell over. She had not aged a bit nor was she damaged or scuffed. She was perfect.

"Pygmy."

The droid only took a moment to recognize her old friend. "Tress," her lower lids rose in a smile. He walked over to her and hugged the hand she lowered. "How have all our friends been doing, Pyg? How are you? How is your father and Taylor, good ol' Garth Hughes?"

" 'Good old Garth?' " the youngest boy laughed, despite looking dirty and weak.

"Garth Hughes is our uncle, dude." the oldest child in appearance said.

Tress examined them over with a solemn stare.

"I believe you." He said but did not go into why he so readily did. "And I can take you to Abba." Tress turned to Ivan. "Provided you do not take control of Pygmy." he dared with a grin. The man waited to see if any of Hogarth resided in his son but saw no resemblance.

This boy was Hogarth's?

"You do not know something." Ivan guessed as they stepped into Pygmy's hands. "And it is as if you wish for us to tell you." he looked down at his staff. "I am useless, I'm afraid."

"Why do you say that?" Jean walked up to him but Ivan turned away.

He seemed stalled by his own emotion.

" 'Cause you aren't useless to us," Taylor came to reside on his other side and touched his arm. "You're our family." The three boys and Pygmy looked at Tress as tears glittered in his own gray eyes. He and the droid shared a knowing look. "Tress? Are you family too?"

The thin man reached down and plopped Taylor up on his shoulders.

He laughed happily in surprise, clutching onto his new friend's head.

"By bond if not by blood, my young boy. Now let us go to gather Abba and Trina! It is so that they are part of our family too, correct?" Pygmy nodded. Jean nodded. Then the little boy atop Tress's shoulders and lastly he nodded. They turned to Ivan Grant in expectancy.

He disappointed them.

"I cannot be a part of your family. I cannot be your friends." the man-boy turned to Tress. "I will hold Golden off for as long as I can." Pygmy brought her friends closer to her chest as she recalled the droid's dangerous affront. He and the purple droid shared a lasting look before they parted ways. "You are so much like our fathers. I will not forget to love you."

Pygmy stood there as he flung himself away in a giant blue ball of strobing swirls.

"What did he mean by he can't be our family?" Taylor asked.

His brother gave him a little push on the shoulder.. "He says we can't be family, stupid."

Even as Tress wanted to he couldn't force two brothers to get along; Hogarth could not do that with him and Ven so long ago. Pygmy, a shadow of doubt crossing over her face, sped off in the direction her old friend Tress pointed to. They left without transmuting and with no further incident as they passed over Middle Zephyron in just several short minutes.

…

Gold saw him coming.

She knew the sentries had betrayed her and moved the majority of the population out but the droid still had the Giant's clones. All she needed was a way out of this time and yet the last time-transporter in existence was not within her grasp of knowledge and she couldn't go past Pygmy to find Trina on her own. Who else would have been left this old artifact?

The bronze-paneled and copper-coiled droid practically swatted him in between her hands.

"You alerted them." Ivan cowered in real human terror as she uncovered him.

"I-I-,"

"It seems I will have to kill your mother after all."

"NO!" He shrieked, brought to sudden awareness of the danger she posed.

"That is better. You will lead me to where Pygmy is and as I suspect she will dwell near where my dear sweet Abba fled to. Where Trina holds my escape. Do you understand?"

Ivan nodded. When he looked up he saw that the droids and humans were stricken.

"Do I need to crush this boy or are my intentions clear?"

No one moved to stop her.

"Good." Gold's green eyes swerved back to Ivan. "And yes, I can and will kill Hogarth."

What neither of them or the small population of droids and humans knew was that not one but two clones were now missing. Gold counted on collecting Pygmy in the end but there was one that hadn't returned from taking Abba home, he had been her playmate long ago.

He was her friend and usual mode of transportation:

Sputnik.

…

Hogarth waited as the Giant stood in the shadows.

How was he going to explain to his friend that he was no longer human?

"Hogarth?"

The middle-aged man grew shocked as the robot stepped out into the morning light.

"Houston can't help us now," He whispered, gaping.

To be continued…

~ Lavenderpaw ~