FuturAstrorama

VI.

Planet Express, New New York City

The Planet Express crew entered the ships hangar and stared at the loading bay next door. The bay was filled up to the ceiling with insulated crates of green cheese.
"You guys better get this stuff loaded quickly into the ships cargo hold before it starts to spoil." The Professor said.

Bender staggered into the cockpit of the anti-gravity fork loader and started up the machine. He over-revved the engine and threw it into gear, immediately stripping the gears and destroying the transmission.

"What the heck is the matter with you, Bender?" Leela asked. "You operated that machine like a surgeon yesterday."

"Sorry." Bender said. "Guess I had a little too much beer to drink."

"Jeez!" Amy Wong said. "Just what we don't need around here. A drunk robot operating heavy machinery!"

"I guess we'll have to load this stuff by hand." Leela said. "Everyone get to work!"

Astro entered the loading bay and surveyed the situation. The cargo was already palletized, but without the fork lift loader the crew would have to unload each pallet and carry the individual crates into the ship one by one. The ship's cargo hatch was about 15 feet off the ground, so they would have to use the ramp to carry the crates from the floor of the loading bay to the hangar and into the ship.

"This is going to take forever." Fry moaned.

"No it won't!" Astro said. "Watch this!"

Astro ran into the loading bay and single handedly lifted up a a pallet containing 1000 Kg of cheese. He flew through the air, holding the heavy cargo over his head, and gently dropped it into the ships cargo hold. Astro then flew back for a second pallet. Leela's head rotated back and forth watching Astro zip between the loading dock and the ship's cargo hold. In less than five minutes the entire contents of the loading dock had been transferred to the ship.

While Astro had been flying back and forth, Cobalt, Uran, and Chi-tan had wandered into the hangar to watch their brother start his new job. "Atom-Ani!" Uran cried out, waving her hand.

"OK!" Leela said as Astro landed next to her. "That was fantastic! OK crew, let's get going."

Philip Fry, Amy Wong, and Dr. Zoidberg got on board the ship and took their seats. Astro and Bender headed to the ship's hatchway, but Leela blocked Bender's path.
"Why don't you sit this one out, Bender." She said. "You're too drunk to be useful on this trip, Astro will take your place."

"What! And miss Lunar City Disneyland?" Bender said.

"You're grounded!" Leela told the obnoxious robot. "As long as I'm captain, I won't have any intoxicated robots on MY ship!"

"OK, then!" Bender said. "But don't ask for my help when you next need it, cause you won't get it!" Bender marched off to the kitchen and grabbed a six pack of Blotto Beer from the fridge.

"Don't you think you were a little harsh on him, Leela?" Fry asked.

"I'm sorry Fry." Leela said. "But I'm sick and tired of that lazy, drunk, useless robot screwing up on the job. If he's not being incompetent, he's being a thief."

"Yeah, but if he hadn't been up to his usual shoplifting we wouldn't have had Astro to help out." Fry pointed out.

"You're right, Fry." Leela said. "I'll try and make it up to Bender when we get back. But for this trip, Astro is going to take his place, he's earned it."

Astro turned to Leela. "Can my brothers and sister come along?" He asked. "I'm sure they would enjoy the theme park."

"Sure, we've got a few empty seats left in the crew compartment." Leela said, waving for Astro's siblings to join them.

Leela was about to close the hatchway when Bender came running up the gangplank carrying two large canisters. "I told you that you weren't welcome on this trip, Bender!" Leela said grabbing the door handle. Astro saw what he was carrying and spoke up.
"Bender has brought extra canisters of atomic energy for my siblings and I," he said. "Thank you Bender! Please Leela, let him come along. He means well."

Leela sighed and threw her hands up in the air. "Very well Bender, you can come along." She said. "But as soon as we are out of Earth orbit you'd better get to the galley and drink lots of stuff with caffeine in it and sober up!"

Bender grabbed Leela and gave her a big hug. "Thank you Leela!" he said, taking his seat.

"Wow!" Amy Wong said. "He must have been really plastered to have apologized to you. He never does that when he's sober."

Lunar City Moon Base
The crew of the Nimbus were tied up and sitting on the floor of the grand concourse. They were being guarded by about a dozen of the 'mini' cylinder robots. Master Cylinder stood about twenty feet away from them, gloating.

"So just how do you think you are going to take over the Moon and then the Earth?" Zapp Brannigan mocked his captor.

"Actually, I'm in control of the Moon right now." Master Cylinder laughed. "The commander of Lunar City is under my control at this very minute. He knows that I have his family captive, and is afraid of what I might do to them if he doesn't cooperate. As for the Earth, once I have my forces in place in low Earth orbit, I'll be able to threaten raining death and destruction down on the planet if they do not surrender."

"Got you there!" Zapp laughed. "You don't have a space ship."

"True, but after you order your transporter operator to beam my Army and myself up to yours, we will take it over." Master Cylinder laughed.

"I would never give such an order." Zapp snarled. "I'd rather all of my men died first."

"I was rather thinking I'd try torturing you first." Master Cylinder sneered.

"Well in that case." Zapp said. "Maybe we might come to some sort of deal."

Kif looked at Zapp and face palmed.