05/10/14

Chapter 3

As Clark told Imra what he saw, they returned to the house to get Clark his spare pair of glasses, not wanting anyone to stumble upon them and see him without his disguise. They decided not to tell anyone what they saw and that they would go looking for it after school.

But the next day Imra was asked to work and Imra asked Clark to wait for her but Clark didn't. He grabbed his camera, thinking Chloe might like a picture of this thing for her wall of weird once everything was figured out, and some scrap metal to use as bait.

The woods were quiet while Clark waited, hidden from view from where he had placed the scrap metal in full view of anyone who would walk by. After a while he was bored and started to idly take pictures of things around him. It was when he turned the camera to take pictures of himself that he heard the thump.

How something so big could sneak up on him, Clark hadn't a clue but he jumped out of surprise and immediately fell over, onto his butt. His camera skidded away down the slight slant of the hill.

Tilting its head to the side, the robot seemed to be observing him before copying Clark, falling back to sit on its butt. Still, it was watching him and now Clark would see that its eyes were no longer white. Instead its eyes had changed to a sort of magenta, darkening downward into a darker purple.

"Ah, hello," Clark said slowly, sitting up properly. He watched the robot watch him and smiled a little. "I guess you don't want to hurt me, huh?"

The giant robot brought up a hand and dropped the ripped off emergency switch of the power station onto the ground between them.

"So you saw me save you," Clark theorized. "So, where are you from?"

The robot stared at him.

"What's your name?" Clark tried again.

The robot stared at him.

"Can you remember anything?" Clark looked over the robot and saw it had a bump on its head. Did it work the same way for robots as it did for humanoids? "You've got a bump on your head; maybe you have amnesia of some sort."

The robot reached up and felt over the bump, seeming confused.

"Can you talk," asked Clark and when the robot stared at him again he tried to elaborate. "You know words; blah, blah, blah. Can you do that; blah, blah, blah."

Slowly the robot opened its mouth and the loud, mechanical, imitation repeated, "Blah, blah, blah," back to Clark.

"That's great," Clark tried to keep the grimace from his face. "My name is Clark."

"Clark," the robot all but barked.

"That's right," Clark smiled and started pointing out things like rocks and trees to try and re-teach the robot things it couldn't remember. After a bit he stood. "Now what do with you? I can't leave you here, someone may see you. I can't take you home; someone besides Imra may see you. Then if someone does see we got the freaking out problem with possible gun fire and definite gun fire if the government really is in town."

Clark looked at the robot and the robot stared at him.

"It's too bad you aren't smaller," Clark sighed.

"Smaller?" the robot tilted its head again.

"You know, smaller," Clark held up his hand to be level with the top of his head, "About my size." He lowered his hand to about his chest, "Or smaller would be good."

"Smaller," the robot repeated and Clark could hear the sound of gears moving within the robot, grinding and clunking.

Part of the robot started to turn and shrunk, compacting itself. Soon the robot was half its original size, then half that, then half that. Before Clark knew it the robot was shorter then he was, pretty proportionate to a normal human though its forearms and calves were a little bigger.

"How, how did you do that," Clark stammered, the robot still staring at him. He pulled at his hair a little bit, not understanding. "Are you some sort of Tardis?!"

The robot tilted its head again, still watching Clark. After a moment hair sprang up from the top of the robots head, short and black like Clark's.

"Huh," said Clark slowly. "Well I guess if anyone sees you they may just think you're some sort of alien already on this planet."

As Clark headed down the hill, the robot followed, still watching him. After a bit of looking, Clark found his camera and thankfully it hadn't broken.

"I guess you're coming to my house," Clark stated and started toward the farm, walking since he wasn't sure how fast the robot could go.

Like Clark thought, the robot followed him, still silent and watchful as they went along. Unfortunately Clark wasn't watching the robot in return for when they were almost back he heard a brunch behind him.

The robot had stopped at the train tracks and had lifted up the railing as it attempted to eat the metal.

"No," Clark shouted. "You take that out of your mouth right now mister!"

Though the robot stared at him, after a moment it did as ordered.

In the distance they could hear the train approach.

"Oh geeze," Clark hoped the train couldn't see them yet as he grabbed hold of the railings. "Help me fix it!"

The robot grabbed hold of the railings and as the robot pushed with him, Clark used his powers to put the railings back down and back together, though not perfectly.

"Let's go," shouted Clark, the train was getting too close for comfort. He was halfway down the hill when he realized the robot wasn't behind him anymore.

Back at the track, the robot was trying to align the tracks perfectly; unsatisfied with the way Clark had left it.

"Come on, it's fine, let's go," Clark yelled as he ran back up the hill. Anyone on the train would see if he used super speed now.

Now not listening to him the robot changed its arm into a blow torch and started to weld the railings together.

"Come on Marry Poppins robot, let's go," Clark reached the top of the top of the hill and headed towards him.

The robot looked up at him and stood back up.

"That's it, come towards me," Clarked nearly pleaded.

The robot took one step forward, onto the tracks, and was immediately hit by the train, its parts flying in all directions.

As the train screeched to stop, Clark stared in disbelief.

"Robot?"