Metro City was a grand place filled with beautiful lights, the cleanest streets and high-class robots. But even the most lit up streets have its dark alley ways. The brightest lights have the darkest shadows. The most intelligent robots have the most dangerous malfunctions.
Alicia knew this fact well. Blowing some golden hair out of her vision, the young adult scampered in-between the many smooth dumpsters, kicking up old robot parts and food waste as she went. Arriving at the end of the ally way, she pressed her back against the building to check her path.
RUSTLE.
With a gasp she quickly pulled out her stun gun, pulling it in front of her and aiming at any movement. A high-pitched squeak sounded and a huge black rat scurried out from behind the shadows, rushing back into a chipped hole in the side of the building. With a sigh Alicia pulled the weapon back to the safety of her belt.
"Rats..." she hissed, looking around. "I'm in the right place..."
With a slight urgency, the young adult sprinted along the dark streets, the arching buildings lurking over her as if staring her down. She scanned the slightly moist concrete ground, sliding old beer bottles and cans out of her path. As her pace quickened, she looked up to the building she was looking for. It was one cramped in next to some more modern ones, yet this one was more a broken down construction site, with tipped over beams and smashed windows. Quietly she ran up to the crumbled entrance with one hand lightly on the gun as she disappeared inside. Her teeth immediately started to chatter a bit. Whether it was from the chilling environment or that dread in her bones, she'll never tell. She strode over to a stair way, passing tipped over desks and smashed walls.
The entire room was either a shade of grey or black, and it had a sort of feeling to it, like it was trying to tell you that it's seen better times, that it once was an important place to be.
Well, now it's just another pile of junk.
Alicia looked around with a rub of her shoulders before stepping up the concrete stairs, a loud tapping of her shoes echoing up the walls, trying to escape through the roof. She started running thoughts through her head.
This might not be such a good idea...but no. He has to be told and he has to know. I won't stop until he's heard every word I have to say, whether he listens or not.
She reached the end of the stairs with a stop of her feet. Her legs immediately stopped stiff, her hands clenching. There.
Right there, he sat.
She swallowed. In the corner of the room, next to the emergency exit was a hunched over figure snugly in a chair looking over a desk, half hidden by the shadows. Meaningless pencils and old office work items spilled over the surface, looking like someone had thrown a fit over nothing. All that she could see of the man was the outline of his thick leather jacket and some hint of the tip of his raggy brown hair. She stood there for what felt like years, just waiting for something to invite her to move, eyeing the figure that looked just as idle.
Bad idea...she screamed in her head. Bad idea, bad idea...
Before she could think to move, he spoke.
"I don't bite, Alicia."
With a stop of her breath for a few moments, the woman stared at the figure in front of her. His head was slightly tilted back now. Knowing she couldn't leave without an explanation, she slowly proceeded forward. She cleared her throat, stopping a few feet from him.
"Tenma," was all she could summon at the moment. She jumped as the very same rat as before ran along the ground and scampered up his chair, sitting upon the desk. An outstretched arm reached out, revealing a piece of pale cheese. Immediately the rat started to nibble on it.
She raised an eyebrow. "Made some new friends?" His head dropped and rose in a pathetic excuse for a nod.
"Why are you here?" he asked in his deep voice, with a tone that always reminded you that he knows better. She rubbed her elbow, a slight nervousness in her blood.
"I-I-I-"
"Took a wrong turn? Change your mind about seeing me? I wouldn't be surprised. Most don't understand my decisions. I am now considered a threat."
"To tell you the truth, Tenma? We always knew you were a ticking bomb," she said, approaching him more as the confidence kicked in. Her presence scared the rodent and it leapt off the surface of the old pine, disappearing once again.
"Bombs destroy things. I create." He said without hesitation, tilting his head away so his face was more in the shadows. Alicia scowled.
"How could you say that? Tenma, you are wanted for your destruction!"
Tenma didn't say anything.
She shook her head in disappointment. "Have you seen these?" she asked, slamming a pile of paper on his desk, causing the pens and pencils to roll off onto the cold floor. Tenma looked down to them. There were two sorts, one of them a picture of Tenma, showing he was wanted, and the next showing the robot. The child robot, with those star spikes in his hair, and those beautiful brown eyes she'd come to love.
As soon as the poster met his eyes, his hand immediately shot forward to the photo. Her face still remained stern.
"See? Your creation-"
"My mistake..." Tenma groaned, bringing his hand back.
"Your SON is out there! He's probably lost, scared and wondering what was wrong with him, thanks to you!" she growled. A slam of Tenma's fist on the desk made her freeze up again. She was quiet for a moment, waiting for him to speak. After a few minutes she gathered he had nothing to say.
"Tenma," she said calmly, "We have to find your robot before they do." The man leaned back in his chair.
"He is no longer mine. I thought I made that clear that I do not need him."
"Well he needs you now! So why won't you show a little compassion for-"
"A ROBOT!" he raised his voice, slamming both hands on the desk and rising from his chair. Alicia stared at him, his head bent down low to the wood of the desk. She took a deep breath, slowly reaching her hand out and placing it on his back. Before she could say anything he responded. "Fine." The woman reeled back a bit. "Just fine. Find the robot, take it to your stupid father and keep him there. But I do not want it back. I don't want to see him..." she scowled.
"Stupid father now is it?" she growled. Tenma sat back down, hand to chin.
"Why are you wearing that?" he asked. Alicia scowled once again when he didn't have any concern of his payout. But she took a glance down to her cloths- a blue police top with black pants, with all the gizmos and weapons that came with it. She tugged on them.
"I've been impersonating a police officer for weeks now! I thought I told you that! That's how I've been able to know all this!" she threw her arms in the air. "I've been trying to level out all this shit you've brought on us and I'm going to finish it!" she finished with a deep breath. She looked at him, rage still etched in her thoughts. They both stood there for a few seconds, wondering who would speak. Tenma reached an arm out to place on Alicia's shoulder. Her face still didn't show any empathy for him.
"Alicia," he started. Alicia's eyes twitched. "This 'shit' is only brought upon yourselves because you chose to become a part of my problems. The last thing I would want is my own niece to get in trouble or killed. The robot is not your problem, he's mine. If I don't chose to do anything, I don't expect you to take up the challenge." Alicia's face softened.
"It's because we care, Uncle. I don't want you behind bars, or Tobi to die." Tenma grunted a bit on the name. "I know it's hard to face your past, and even just saying his name makes you cringe, but we have to set things right." Tenma took a step back, returning to the dark shadows.
"Then you go set things right." She smiled with a nod, walking back to the stairs. Sure he was a crazy misunderstood genius, but she understood him better than most people. You don't treat people of stone like they're glass, you have to stand up for yourself, and tell them straight. Tenma was only human, just like anyone else trying to get out of a problem they've made themselves.
She stopped at the door way as he spoke once more.
"And don't die. Always a good bonus."
Alicia chuckled and nodded, walking out the room.
Atom, Zane and Cora smiled as they pushed through the very last bushes and trees to come to the Hunter's Camp. It was a very humble place, with five small tents surrounding a camp fire. The ember glow bathed many logs surrounding it, and a small metal pot was hanging over the flames. Numerous ropes, tokens, pots, bags and tools spilled around the edges of the tents, and the three figured they didn't usually get guests. But the eye drawing feature by far was where this camp was.
It was just at the edge of a huge glistening lake. Under the moon it truly looked magical, with seemingly diamonds sparkling on the surface.
Cora's eyes widened as she stepped forward, stopping at the foot of the fire. "Whoa..." she breathed. Zane looked just enhanced, stepping next to her.
"Lake," he nodded. "Big lake..."
Atom cautiously scampered over to them as the Hunters proceeded forward, smiling.
"Home sweet home!" Eric chuckled.
"MEEP!"
They all jumped as a flash of pink zoomed past their eyes. Atom was pushed backwards as something knocked him over. Rascal let out a laugh of glee as the 'something' rushed into her arms. Lin caught Atom from falling, smiling.
"Watch your step..." she whispered to him. Atom quickly pushed off her, stepping a little closer to Cora. The three looked to see Rascal hugging the neck of some sort of emu/flamingo robot. It's pink metal covering had an orange glow to sit beside the fire and its long neck stretched around Rascal, humming and nibbling her hair. She let out a squeaky laugh.
"Momo! Down girl!" Zag dragged past.
"I thought we agreed it was a boy..." he growled. Rascal squeezed Momo defensively.
"No way!" she screeched.
"So! This is going to be your tent," Eric said, walking over to what looked like a cloth thrown over two branches tied together. He ducked inside, fishing around to remove any unwanted items.
"Don't need that..." he grunted as he threw out a pot. "Or that..." a rubber duck, a lead, a reel of rope, a computer mouse and various other junk spilled out, landing at their feet. They all winced as a cleaver sliced into the dirt in front of Atom.
Soon the man dusted his hands, straightening up and stepping out. "That should do it!" he beamed.
"You all actually live here?" Zane asked, dropping his bag by the tent and walking closer to the river's edge.
"Yep," Lin muttered. Cora grinned.
"It's beautiful." She cooed. Atom leapt over to Zane, eyes narrowing. Located in the center of the lake, sat what looked like an island of lights. He raised an arm, pointing to it.
"What's that?" Eric came up next to him, squinting.
"That? Oh! That's Scarlet Lakes!" Cora and Zane twisted around.
"Scarlet Lakes?" they gasped. Lin and Zag nodded.
"That's where we have to go next!" Cora said. "Is there any way you could give us a ride over there?"
Eric grinned and nodded, walking over to a bare tree arching by the water. Out of the shadows Cora spotted a small wooden post struck into the earth. Eric grunted as he leaned over, picking up a damp twist rope. Tugging it, his face dropped a little. He pulled the rope up more, and more and more until the end of it was dangling in front of his face. His mouth twisted into a scowl.
"ZAG!" he screeched. The boy looked up with annoyance.
"What?" he snapped. Eric was just about fuming, walking over to him with rope in hand, the fingers almost white from gripping it so hard.
"I thought I told to make sure the boat was strung up TIGHT!" Racal looked shocked.
"The boat's not here?" she whimpered. Eric gestured to the rope and shook his head.
"Well, I'm sorry I'm not perfect!" Zag growled, walking up to a black tent and disappearing inside, an array of curses following. Zane stepped forward.
"Wait- what's with a boat?" he asked. Eric sighed, chucking the rope to the side.
"That was the way we use to get to Scarlet Lakes..." he growled. Cora felt a rock sink in her stomach.
"Is there any other way?" she asked hopefully. Lin nodded, flicking her cigarette into
the flames of the fire.
"Yeah, but it takes hours to venture around the lake." Rascal stamped her foot on the ground.
"That's not fair! It's Zag's fault! Why do we have to do all the work?"
"Whining does not help, Rascal!" Eric snapped. Cora snapped her head towards Atom as she felt a tug on her shoulder.
"What?" she hissed. She was not in the mood to be annoyed by a robot right now. She saw his eyes locked onto something across the water. As usual, he out-stretched an arm and pointed to something. "Could you use words for once?" she growled. Atom looked to her with hunched shoulders for a while, then cleared his throat.
"Boat."
Cora, Zane and Eric glanced over to where he was pointing to see a shadowed figure bobbing in the water, far off in the distance. Eric sighed angrily.
"Great. Just great!"
"Can't someone swim?" Zane asked. Eric blinked.
"What, all the way out there? Be my guest!" he walked back to the fire, leaving the three to still stare out to the lost item. Zane scratched the back of his neck,
"Well...I guess we got some traveling to do tomorrow." He sighed.
"That sucks..." Cora mumbled. Wiping a hand over her face, she looked over to Atom, standing quietly. "Can you swim?" she asked. The robot's eyes widened. He quickly shook his head, taking many steps back.
"I'm not swimming!"
"No-one's swimming," they heard Eric declare. Twisting to him, they saw the man slowly sit upon one of the logs, Lin by his side. "It's late, and all of us have had a big day. I suggest we drop it until the morning." Reaching out and glancing into the steaming bottom of the pot hanging over the pit, he rubbed his hands together and licked his lips.
"Who's hungry?"
Cora dug her chop sticks into her tin bowl filled with moist rice, juicy snippets of chicken and a green vegetable she didn't bother to identify. They all had been given dry cloths and well desired food. No matter how filling Abigail's pancakes were, Zane and Cora were near the tip of starvation. While she wore an old purple sweater and black skinny jeans, Zane ended up having a black t-shirt, ripped jeans and a black leather jacket as his cloths were from Zag.
Sitting with her legs locked into a tight cross, she looked around to the other people around the slightly smothered camp fire.
Zane was next to her, lifting his bowl up to his mouth and scooping as much as he could in with loud slurps, now and then punching his chest and coughing. She shook her head with a smile and looked to Rascal who was giving half her dinner to Momo, not that the robot needed it. The ostrich-like
creature stuck its head into the white rice, nibbled around and then gave a look to the child, the sticky grains stuck around its beak. Rascal let out a giggle, hugging her.
Then there was Atom, wearing a baggy grey jumper over his black Speedo. He sat with knees pulled up to his chest, smiling and watching everyone with a slight wonder. Cora wondered if he still had that slight discomfort towards the Hunters, but right now he seemed calm.
Shrugging, she looked to Lin by his side. She was right now on her third beer, not minding that much about the food. Apparently Lin had a great sense of direction and aim, but that was hard to believe right now, watching her scull her alcohol.
Zag was sitting by the tent, slowly eating small mouthfuls of rice while having two pale head phones stuck in his ears. By the way he bobbed his head to a silent tune, it was a pretty good song.
Eric was defiantly a family guy, as he would talk loudly and laugh with everyone, even when no-one was really listening to him...
"So, where are you kids from?" Eric asked, looking to Zane and Cora. The two looked to each other, thinking what possible harm could four lone Hunters do if they told them.
"We work at a circus," Cora answered, picking some chicken from her teeth. Rascal gasped, eyes shining.
"Circus!" she cheered, leaning on her pet. "I love the circus! Can we go to the circus? Please?" Eric frowned, shaking his head.
"Depends on what circus." He said gruffly, looking to Zane for an answer.
"Great Robot Circus!" he grinned, puffing his chest out boldly. They all almost choked on their food. Lin sprung forward, her mouthful of beer sizzling into the flames.
"No kidding!" Eric gasped, coughing into his hand. "That's one of the most famous circus's around! You two work there?"
"Yeah!" Cora said, leaning forward to feel the heat on her cheeks. Rascal looked to Atom.
"You're a circus robot?" without waiting for an answer she latched onto his shoulder. "That's so COOL!" she screamed.
"No Rascal," Zane placed a hand on her shoulder. "Atom isn't a circus robot. He will be, once we get to the circus," he told, returning to his precious feast.
"So that's why we caught you in a forest!" Lin said, twirling her finger in the air. "You two..." she addressed drunkenly, pointing to the teenagers. She paused for a minute before shoving her beer can in Atom direction. "You three...are trying to get...to a circus..." she finished, nodding like she was a genius. Cora raised an eyebrow to Zane, snickering.
"Yep, that's pretty much it," she said. "Enough about us- what about you four? You guys family?"
"Oh god no!" Eric laughed. He pointed to Rascal. "I was venturing when I found this little thing as a baby, shoved into a bag. I actually bumped my head on it- it was hanging from a tree branch." Rascal almost fell backwards in a fit of giggles and snorts.
"Haha! I hit you in the head I couldn't even walk yet!" she laughed. Cora and Zane knew far worse abandon stories, and were quite amused to look at the child cry of laughter at her misfortune. Atom was much the opposite, struck with horror.
"Who on earth would stuff a baby in a bag?" he asked, disgusted. Eric let of a shrug.
"Same reason they dump robots in the Waste Lands. They don't want them anymore," he answered easily, taking a mouth full of food. Atom looked even more shocked, leaning forward more as if he maybe he heard him wrong.
"B-but...that's so wrong! If you have a child, then it's yours! You're supposed to look after them, and love them, and-"
"Obviously, people don't get that message, Atom," the man said, looking him in the eye. Atom was completely stunned, unable to say anything. Eric sighed. "Look, no-one should be treated that way- I hear you mate. But this happens every day. On the Surface and Metro City. Young people who think they know everything try to suddenly take on a responsibility like a child, and even less than three days in they've had enough."
Cora saw the boy's face twist in confusion and shock. "That...that's awful," he quivered, looking to the ground. Lin chuckled, looking loosely in her hand bag for another drink.
"Don't act so surprised..." she murmured, "Isn't that what happened to you?" she asked, cracking open another beer and slurping up the bubbles.
Cora scowled at the woman's un-empathy towards Atom, seeing the robot's head drop to the ground showing an emotion she couldn't really pin on. Rascal stared at him for a long while, stroking Momo on the head.
"What about Zag?" Zane asked, willingly changing the subject. Eric's face brightened.
"Ahhh, yes! Zag! Me and Rascal met Zag when he was only around four. He was getting mugged in Scarlet Lakes."
"And you saved him?" Cora asked.
"Nah, they left him to die." Zane remarked in an obvious tone, rolling his eyes. Without warning Lin let out a long stream of laughs and hiccups. They all frowned at each other, but laughed with her.
"Dare I say it," Cora snickered, "But what about Lin?" Eric smiled and nodded, placing his empty bowl beside him.
"We ran into Lin in the forest actually. She was (brace yourself), drunk," he laughed. Cora pretended to look shocked.
"No way!" she gasped. Rascal giggled.
"She's really weird when she's drunk," she mumbled, looking to her. Lin grinned at her, reaching out and pressing on her nose.
"You look so much like a monkey!" she gurgled. Zane almost choked on his food, erupting in laughter. Eric chuckled with them, digging in his pocket and taking out a leather bound bottle. Cora giggled, chucking her bowl to the side.
"What's that?" she asked. Eric let out an evil laugh.
"Entertainment!" Zane and Cora leaned forward with a grin. Eric took a swing of whatever was in it and held it out to Zane, but pulled back as Rascal made a grab for it.
"Mine!"
"Oh no you don't!" he snapped. "The last thing we need is a drunk Rascal..." he chuckled, throwing it up. Zane yelped as he snatched it out of the air, pulling it to his lips. Cora burst into laughter as his face scrunched up like he had just bitten into a lemon.
"That really..." he coughed, "that's some strong stuff..." he wheezed. The man winked.
"Out here mate? It's gotta be!"
As Cora, Zane and Eric continued talking, Zag glanced over to Atom, head still down and looking like he didn't belong. Ripping the ear phones from his head, he slowly got up with a stretch and dragged himself over to him. Atom's ear flickered slightly, turning his head. He came face to face with the teenager. Gasping in surprise he flinched back, making Zag chuckle.
"Not that scary am I?" Atom raised an eyebrow.
"What do you want?" he asked, doubting he just wanted to say hello from first impressions. Zag grunted a bit as he rolled half on his back, sitting down.
"You seem like an interesting guy," he said easily. "You seem lost." Atom frowned for a bit.
"Well, yeah. I mean we were supposed to turn the other way on the Surface Ridge and-"
"A-tom," Zag said, pronouncing his name slightly off. He looked at him with a mocking face. "You don't know what to do around humans that well. You look lost."
The robot reeled back slightly, taking in what he said. Sighing in defeat, he looked to the ground.
"I'm not even sure why I was created..." he almost whispered. Zag nodded casually, flipping his hoodie over his head.
"You know humans get that same feeling?" Atom frowned at him.
"What?" What was so bad about being human?
"Well, some people wonder why they were put on this earth. Wonder what they are made to do. People who are lost for talents, for a will to live."
"And do you have a will to live?" Atom asked, intrigued with the entire conversation. Zag stared at nothing unparticular for a second before adjusting his seating. Looking over to Eric, he changed the subject.
"You know it's about now the guy tells his favorite joke."
Atom frowned at his hesitance to answer his question but, glanced over to the gruff man with him anyway. Sure enough, Eric paused from laughing to clear his throat.
"Here, gather around. I wanna tell you kids this cracker of a joke..." Rascal groaned, rolling back in her seat.
"Not this one again!" she whined. The boy robot broke into a smile of wonder, looking to Zag. He gave him a smirk then nodded to Lin.
"Lin would probably be just about ready to complain about the lake..."
In another out-burst of beer bubbles the woman started debating, flinging her arms in the air aimlessly.
"Eric!" she screeched, cutting the man off from his punch line. With a tighten of his fist he shot his head over to her. "The lake!" she almost screamed. Cora and Zane frowned at each other.
"What about it?!" Eric snapped. Lin's alerted face suddenly went blank. Her shoulders dropped as well as her head.
"It's blue..." she pouted. Atom sent another strange glance to Zag, who was rather enjoying being admired by him.
"You can see into the future!" Atom scoffed.
"Or I've just been hanging around these losers for far too long," he muttered. "Sad, huh?"
"Sad?" he asked, eyebrows raised. "How could that be sad?" Atom looked around at the Hunters, at Eric telling Lin off and Rascal showing off to Zane and Cora. "You have somewhere you belong..."
"Duck."
The robot slowly looked to the teenager, confusion written all over his face.
"Excuse me?" Zag eyed him.
"DUCK."
"I still don't-"
"MEEP!"
In a flash of pink Atom winced as the robotic bird slammed its head down on his skull. Pulling his arms instantly over his head as Momo trotted off to Lin, Zag rolled over in laughter.
Cora grinned, reaching out and grabbing the small metal bottle. Zane looked to her with a daring smirk. "Go ahead!" he offered cheerily. Cora brought her nose to the top, sniffing in the strong musky scent. Almost sneezing, she squeezed her eyes shut and tipped the liquid into her mouth.
As the night went on, Eric continued to laugh and joke with Cora and Zane, Lin slurred and burst out in the most random comments, Zag went back to his tent for the night and Rascal patted Momo while chatting with Atom. Though Eric's jokes not the funniest ones around, the two teens ended up rolling on the floor anyway as the alcohol was kicking in rather quick.
Rascal enjoyed mindlessly telling Atom every fact there was about Momo. Apparently they had found her in Scarlet Lakes, beaten and rusty. With the help of Zag's mechanics they were able to get her working as good as new. Momo didn't particularly take a quick liking to Atom at first, swinging her head at him, biting his ear and hissing at him in a strange clicking call. Though the child persisted that they were accidents, the boy knew when he was un-wanted. But that all changed about five minutes after...
Atom's brows furrowed as he felt the large robot bird lean next to him. As soon as he made a move to inch away, Momo struck down on his head.
"RACHH!" it hissed. Atom scowled, looking into the blue eyes. Momo pulled its beak into a slight snarl, as if daring him to compete with it. A sudden electricity flowed through Atom's body as his mouth opened to let out a noise he didn't even know he could summon.
"RACHH!" he spat back. Rascal immediately spun in her seat, eyes wide. She noticed the change of tone in the call, looking to Atom.
"Was that you?" she asked. Momo was staring at the robot in front of her, un-able to think on what to do next. Atom looked just as blankly.
"I-I think so..." he stuttered. The bird's beak started to vibrate.
"CHCHCHRRR..."
Atom frowned slightly, but angled his lower jaw.
"CHCHRR..." he called back, feeling the energy whirr and buzz around his head. Rascal's face lit up.
"Hey guys!" she called. Eric. Zane and Cora were busy laughing to tears at nothing in particular. She crossed her arms. "GUYS!"
"What?" Eric asked, wiping his eye.
"Atom can sound like Momo!" the three slightly frowned, leaning forward in their seats. The child grinned at the two, an expecting expression on her face. Momo snapped her head back to Atom, almost knocking him out.
"CHCHRRR!" it purred. Atom stared at her for a long while before he responded.
"CHCHRR..."
It seemed everyone froze for a full minute before bursting out in laughter.
Soon later Lin's bubbly mood was replaced with sleepiness, and Eric has escort her to her tent. The poor woman passed out before even getting fully inside. The rest however were still rocking the night out, playing music from the old days, the most being 'The Day That I Die' by Good Charlotte. Zane had the pleasure of yelping out the dog barks that were played at the start, and after would boast how he was amazingly raised by wolves. Cora would try to punch his shoulder, but end up falling off her log most of the time.
Atom still watched, laughing at jokes and trying to get enough room from Momo smothering him. Apparently to her they were now best friends. Rascal was looking rather tired, but that all changed when she stole a random can from Lin's bag. After three gulps of it, she looked like she could stay up for weeks.
Over all the night was perfect. The stars were like an overhead blanket, the moon was the pearl of the sky and everything was wonderful. With slightly toasted faces and chilling backs, Eric carried Rascal to her tent for the night and Zane, Cora and Atom crammed into their tent, toppling over each other as they collapsed onto the thin cushion and passed out.
Pepper hated grease. And dirt. And mud. And...well, anything that would get her dirty. So her and a super mechanic should be sworn enemies, right?
Well...not to her.
The girl giggled to herself as she snuck out of her bed, her feet squeaking on the old wood floor. Looking to the others in her tent, she felt her heart quicken, hoping not to wake them. There was Dolly, the thirteen year old prissy girl. She was apart of Pepper's little gang, which was acceptable because she was rather quirky and wouldn't belong anywhere else. Her hair was bleached white and always (and I mean always) in two spiky ponytails, her eyes were a shade between pink and red and she had some obsession over giraffes. Because of this she was in charge of the robotic giraffes in the circus.
Above her was another girl, but one very different. Her name was Goth. No-one knew her real name, and she seemed to have forgotten anyway. Matching her name, everything on her body was a shade of black. Her cloths, her hair, her makeup, her shoes and many tattoos that decorated her arms. She was around 17, and barely spoke to anyone except Cathy- even then only rarely.
And the last bunk below Dolly was empty, a long body shape still pressed into the spongy mattress. This was Cora's bed, but right now is obviously abandoned. Turning her nose up in a slight satisfaction, Pepper snuck out through the cramped door, stepping onto the dried grass. She glanced down to the right, seeing another large carriage stretch along the rails. This one was much bigger than the sleeping bunkers, and instead of being thrown in darkness the lights were on, casting shadows and beams of light everywhere. Smiling dreamily to herself, she snuck around the side to the large open steel doorway. Slightly coughing to the heavy smell of grease, she stepped up the small step and entered the work shop.
There were chips and puddles of oil and grime on the old wooden floor, along with many rusted shelves along the walls. Old robots, robot parts, boxes of tools and cloths filled them, letting out shades of navy blue, rusted red and oranges. A main working bench was placed in the center, thick and large enough to take up half the space. On it right now was a hunched over blue robot, face pulled into a upside down grin, wide eyes flinching and two curved up spikes on its head like a Viking's helmet. It's chest plate was pulled open, wires exposed into the brightness of the overhead light. It truly was a mechanic's dream.
But the attraction she was looking for was a small boy hunched over on a stool, arm twisting as he tightened bolts with a wrench. His blue baggy jumper was splashed with dirt and smears, his red spiky hair was greasy and tussled and he barely made any noise while working.
Pepper grinned, stepping light footed to the side, next to an old rusting chair. As quiet as she tried to be, the boy's head lifted almost immediately. His arm froze mid-turn and the robot's eyes flinched towards her.
"What do you want Pepper?" he asked tiredly. The girl giggled, striding over to him.
"You must have a radar for me!" she squeaked, pulling a strand of her hair. He returned to his work.
"No, I just have a radar for annoyances," he mumbled. Pepper let out a laugh, not taking it as an offence. Placing a hand on his shoulder and looking over, her eyes shined.
"Whatcha doing Reno?" she asked. Reno sighed, turning his head to another angle as he placed the spanner down and fiddled with some wires from the robot's open chest plate.
"Thunder broke most of his computer functions. The main wire circuitry got an over load of information at the same time and fried it." He took the moment to scratch his head, a troubled expression clouding his eyes. Pepper leaned off him, swinging her arms behind her back innocently, knowing she didn't understand a word he said.
"What's wrong?" she asked with big eyes, trying to act like she cared. Reno looked up to the head of Thunder, the robot's eyes fixed on the table.
"Thunder's computer systems are meant to take in a load of information. He's a super computer- his functions are meant to have perfect timing. So he can jump into that leap of death..." his voice trailed off, thinking.
"Leap of death?" Pepper asked, knowing what it was but wanting to keep a conversation. Reno nodded, eyes never meeting hers.
"That trapeze act where robots have to swing through thousands of bolts of electricity? Thunder can only do it because of his super computer timings. But it's overloaded..." he mumbled, returning to his work. Pepper tapped on the desk, annoyed that the boy barely noticed her. All the other guys gave her attention. Why was the only one she took a fancy to more interested in robots then her?
She leaned against the table, watching the fifteen year old work with care and experience. Oblivious on how to keep his attention, she waited for him to start a conversation.
"Shouldn't you be in bed?" he asked, at last looking up to her eyes. She felt her shoulders slump at the baby blue irises staring into her own dull green ones. She grinned, nodding.
"Yep!" Reno raised an eyebrow. "I snuck out!"
"Aren't you rebel?" he mumbled sarcastically, returning to the robot. She hopped up on the bench, swinging her legs beneath her.
"I wanted to stay up with you," she cooed. Reno rolled his eyes.
"How desperate are you?" he asked. Pepper pretended not to hear, smiling goofily. The boy sighed, shaking his head and picking up the spanner. "Have you heard any news on Cora and Zane?" he said, staring at the groves on the cold metal. Pepper felt a fire in her throat, her eyes glaring.
Cora...why does he like Cora so much! She's a loser!
"Why?" she asked, trying not to let the venom seep into her voice. Reno didn't answer for a bit, twisting more bolts and screws.
"They've been gone for four days now," he answered, worry etching into his brow. "I'm just curious on where they are."
"They were declared dead."
Pepper said a little too quickly. He stopped mid turn for a moment, his head turned away. Pepper bit her lip, continuing to swing her legs softly. A long moment passed.
"They're not dead..." he told himself, shaking his head and returning to his work. "They're not dead..." Pepper rolled her eyes, looking to a wooden tool box by her side.
"Sure, think what you want," she mumbled. Reno half smiled, shaking his head. After a while he stretched out an arm to her, holding out his hand. She stared at it for a long time, wondering what to do.
"Drill." She flinched at the order. A smile regained as she snapped her head to the tool box, studying the different objects, metal and plastic. Her tongue stuck out across her lip as her hand hovered above them.
"Uhhh..." she hadn't a clue on what he was asking for. "Umm, no...not that one..."
Reno let out a tired sigh, tapping his foot on the ground impatiently. Soon Pepper stuck a screw driver in his face. He blinked a couple times, wondering if she was for real. But the girls' beaming face remained. He shook his head, reached out and grabbing the blue drill himself.
"Have you ever worked with tools before?" he asked. She blushed, embarrassed, and shook her head.
"No..." she whispered, watching him sit back down and use the drill to aid the robot. With a small groan he lifted the chest plate back in place, a shrill hum from the small machine sounding as it reconnected each bolt. "Maybe you could show me?" she asked, fluttering her eyelashes. Reno sighed once again, a playful smirk on his face.
"I think I'll pass." He said surely, sticking some bolts to his lips as his hands were soon full. A moment of silence between them passed, only the ringing of metal against metal and appliances filling the air. Pepper scratched and picked at her nails as Reno re-attached the chest plate in a matter of seconds. Dusting his hands together and wiping his forehead, he took a few steps back.
"That should do it buddy!" he grinned. Thunder slowly raised his head to him, but nothing else. He didn't seem troubled, patting it on the shoulder. "I'll finish you off tomorrow, hey?"
"It can't talk, you know." Pepper mumbled, raising an eyebrow. Reno didn't respond for a minute, still smiling over the machine.
"But it can still hear you," he answered, grabbing the tool box and placing it on a rusty shelf. Pepper hopped off the bench, placing a hand on her hip.
"Why bother worrying about what it hears when it can't respond anyway?" she asked, not understanding what the boy was trying to prove. Reno shook his head, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"You don't get it Pepper," he smiled, looking up to her. "And I don't think you ever will."
With that he leapt out of the carriage, flicking the light switch as he did so. Pepper turned up her nose, slowly following him out.
"Robots..." she muttered to herself. She looked around the work area for a small moment, before shaking her head and heading back to her bunk.
All was silent.
All were asleep.
Accept for one.
Atom stretched his arm over his head, his brown glazed eyes fixed on the roof of the tent, looking at nothing in particular. Taking a breath through his nose, he started to think things over. So many things...
I'm headed to a circus...he started, eyebrows furrowing a tad. What will happen to me there? It doesn't exactly sound like paradise. But why else would Zane and Cora be so eager to get back?
Turning his head, his eyes came to lay upon Cora's sleeping face. The chilling weather had made her skin even paler, the tip of her nose almost completely white. Her hair was tussled in every direction, only a thick quilt was pulled loosely over her as Zane stole most of it and she had lost her pillow. It was then that he noticed she was actually sleeping on his right arm. He raised an eyebrow, feeling his cheeks flair up.
"Uhhh..."
He slowly tried to pull it away, only for her to groan and cling onto it like a teddy bear. The robot laid there for a second, wondering what to do. He soon decided to leave it, and went back to thinking. He took a moment to listen to the crickets outside, the small whispering of the trees, and let his head clear.
I don't want to go to a circus.
It was that thought that just burned in his mind. He had tried to think of it as a great place to go. To have somewhere he could call home, surrounded by all these new people. But no. He knew it wouldn't be like that at all. He was a robot. A robot headed for a robot circus. What could be worse?
He flinched as he heard Cora groan again, and to his relief she released his arm and rolled over, snuggling into Zane's jacket. He smiled, slowly arching his back as he sat up. A slither of pure white moon light shone in from a crack in the tent, spilling onto Atom's face as he rubbed his neck.
I could run away, he thought. I could run, be free of the circus fate. Be free of being bossed around, be free of being told what to do.
"To where?" he thought out loud. And who was he kidding? He would never be free. He was doomed to the life of being a servant for whoever he ran into. That's what being a robot was. Forever dragging around chains. Chains with no key.
Atom sighed long and deep, glancing to Zane and Cora.
Zane and Cora.
Another reason to stay.
Though Cora could be extremely bossy and annoying and Zane was a sleepy teen who didn't think much for robots, he found himself developing a sort of attachment for the two. He had gone through so much with them already, and he couldn't even begin to think about leaving them, having to forget them. No matter how much they all said they weren't...
They were friends.
Sliding his legs out from a thin sheet, Atom settled onto his knees for a slight moment, looking at Cora as she began to shiver. The quilt had slipped from her shoulders, hanging lamely at her waist. Her hands clenched as her body shook, a small clicking sound of teeth against teeth rising up. Atom carefully reached out, grabbing the corner of the spread and gingerly pulling it up to her neck. Just like that the shivering ceased with a loud sigh.
Smiling, he leapt to his feet and pushed through the floppy green entrance, walking out into the night. The soft sound of snoring lifted from Eric's tent, mixing in with the calls of the wildlife. Atom took a moment to just stand there, looking out to the lake.
It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. The full moon cast an eerie glowing path through the middle of it, small flecks of light glittering over the surface. The water was just sitting there, completely at peace. Un-touchable.
He stood there for a long moment of time, just staring. Soon after his head turned to the black coals of the fire. A few minutes after everyone had settled in, Cora had snuck out and smothered the flames for no reason he could summon. But the look of disgust, fear and longing was etched all over her face as she poured the water over the heat, like it was the devil its self. Cora had obviously something against fires, and he knew it was more than Autumn.
Leaving it, he slowly strode past, his boots crunching on twigs and leaves. He looked up to the gloomy forest, wrapped in darkness as the tall pines blocked out any light. He reached out, feeling the textures of a spiky bush before pushing past it. Ducking under a tree branch he stepped into a small clearing, where the grass and shrubs were bathed in white. Silently, he stepped into the center.
He wasn't sure of what he was doing. He stared straight down at his boots, thinking. He thought of the fire from them, the sparks. He thought of the clicking when he was dancing with Cora. He took a moment to breath in, closing his eyes.
Dancing with Cora...flying...flying...flying...
Softly, he moved his foot to the side. Then slid his other to the right. He let himself spin in slow circles, concentrating on only one thing.
Flying, flying, flying...
He didn't know how many times he repeated that in his head, but he stopped short when he heard the sound.
'CLICK.'
Like music to his ears.
But his half grin soon slid as he felt himself falling.
"Oomph!" The ground met his body in a loud thud. Groaning, Atom rolled onto his back, lifting his legs to examine them. Sure enough, both of them were now small stubs. He didn't know whether to feel happy or disturbed. He'd had his fair share of lost parts already...
Sitting up, he lifted one leg. He was completely oblivious on what to do next, as he hadn't exactly chosen to set them off before.
"Okay...so what do I do n-"
'ZOOM!'
Just like that, they both activated in an outburst of fire.
"WHOOAA!" he found himself skidding across the clearing, until a sharp pain met his back.
SLAM!
Just like before, Atom was smashed into a tree, the bark splintered and branches shaken. Groaning, the robot rubbed his neck, using the tree as support to stand up. He scowled, glancing down to the two stubs.
"Okay, so I know they work..." he mumbled. Carefully stretching out one leg slightly, he focused deeply on trying to connect with them. He had enough of crashing into trees for one day. He frowned in determination, starting at the bright red. After a while of waiting in the cold silent world, his ears flinched.
CLICK.
It reverted into the normal boot slowly, the metal sliding and clicking back into place. Smiling with wonder, Atom summoned the change again. With another sharp click, they turned to the small stubs, faster this time. He practiced that for however long, before deciding to try a get the flames going for the third time.
"Okay..." he whispered to himself, laying his feet gently beside one another. Squeezing his eyes shut, he curled his fists and concentrated. For a few seconds nothing happened, until Atom felt the heating up sensation once again at the very tips of his feet. He bit his lip, focusing hard. Suddenly a soft burning flame lit up the swaying grass around him, scorching the green stems to a black ash. He felt himself slowly rise and hover above the ground. Grinning, he took a small glance down. Sure enough, the small flames were lifting him up.
Laughing both in excitement and amazement, he pressured them to be stronger. He lifted softly upwards, until he felt a low hanging branch prick his forehead. With a small giggle to himself, he pushed it out of the way and glanced down to his feet once again.
I'm FLYING! How cool is that? Everything will be so easy now! We might even make it to the circus in a day!
He grinned at the thought of zooming up with the clouds, with the wind in his hair and the world slipping past from beneath him. Sure, it would take a lot of getting used to and practice, but it felt good to finally be useful.
But among his excitement on his discovery, something drew his attention. A small sound, not one of an animal. It sounded like...gasping? Frowning, the robot shut his rockets off, sending him into a long plummet to the ground. Landing shakily on his feet, he crept up to the thick bushes and trees that blocked his sight from the lake shore, a bit off of the Hunter's camp.
Quick breathing? His mind raced. Could someone be in trouble? Choking?
He briskly pulled a few leaves out of his sight, the light of the moon washing onto his face. The soft noise then hit his ears like a bullet.
Crying.
Not gasps for air, or any sort of danger of the sort. It was small sobbing, and it was coming from a small figure hunched in a bundle sitting by the shore line of the water. Pushing past a small clutter of shrubs that prickled his legs, Atom quietly treaded a few steps closer to the crying human. As the light reflected off the body, he noted a very recognizable purple baggy sweater and the wisps of dark spiky hair. The girl's shoulders shuddered with each expressed gasp, her head dropping as if each tear was screaming failure to her face.
As a slight shock struck him, Atom took one long stride closer to her, stepping out of the shadows and into the moon-lit abyss of the small piece of crunching mud. Why would Cora be crying? Out of all people...Cora? he just couldn't nail on it. What had happened to her? Was she physically hurt? No...he would have heard another sound. Then again, he was caught up in other things.
A smile regained on his face for a slight moment, remembering his power, but soon returned to seriousness as Cora continued to sob. He took one more step towards her.
CRUNCH.
With a gasp the girl flicked her head towards him. Atom winced, hunching his shoulders as the icy eyes burned into his. Cora's red face twisted into a scowl and she returned to her previous stature, hugging her knees tight to her chest. "Go away, Atom." She said firmly. The boy's eyes sparked in interest.
So obviously its emotional problems...he frowned, wondering what to do. He had absolutely no idea how to act around girls, especially girls who were emotional. Should he walk away? No, he thought. I want to know what she's crying about... For some reason he wanted to know more about her. He knew there was something she wasn't telling, a secret somewhere in her past that she was keeping locked up.
He took a few more steps towards her, the crunching of his boots making her hands clench. "ATOM..." she hissed, glaring at him with wet eyes. "I said to go away."
"I know," he said softly, coming to a stop a few meters from her. She didn't look impressed, releasing her legs from her grasp and half twisting to him.
"Then why won't you go?" she growled.
"I think you need someone."
She let out a mocking laugh.
"Someone? You are not a someone, Atom. You are a something. Now leave me alone!"
The robot stood there, wondering what to do. He couldn't just leave her there, crying by the water, yet Cora didn't look like she was in the talkative mood...
Still, he remained idle. The girl's face went dark.
"Atom..." she said in a low, threatening voice, "Go away." When no response came, her tone rose. "Go away! Go away!" she hissed, more tears flowing down her cheeks as she scrambled to her feet. "Why won't you go away?!" she screamed. Atom took a worrying step back, slightly shocked by her depression.
"I won't go away because I can't leave you crying like this!" he defended, challenging her as he held his ground.
"I'm crying because I want you to leave! Why won't you do as I say like you're supposed to?!" she yelled in his face, not bothering to wipe her wet face or straighten her twisted hoodie.
"I know it's not that," the robot said surely. "Why are you crying?"
"That's none of your business!" the teen snapped, crossing her arms.
"Considering I'm going to be practically living with you from now on, I think it is," Atom muttered, raising an eyebrow. Cora was speechless for a second. She has never, ever been spoken to by a robot like this. She had barely even encountered a sturdy conversation with one! How dare he ask about her personal information? How dare he not do as he's told!
"You…have to do as you're told," she spat, shooting a finger at him.
"But I also have to help my owners in any way possible," he smugly replied, smiling a bit. Cora did NOT smile. Her face went bright red, her fists clenching.
"I can handle my problems just fine, thank you!" she growled.
"...By sobbing in the middle of the night?"
"SHUT UP!" she screamed, kicking up some mud. "Just shut up!"
The robot opened his mouth to say something, but closed it tight. She scoffed, glaring at him as his head dropped a little. A long sigh escaped her lips as they both were cast in silence. Her hands tensed as he spoke again.
"Why did you put the fire out?"
She looked to him, staring blankly. Not even trying to keep her tone contained, she answered with,
"Excuse me?"
"We agreed to leave the fire until we woke up. Why did you put it out after we'd gone to sleep?" Cora scoffed, taking a step back.
"May I remind you that only a day ago we had a giant fire we had to deal with in Autumn?!" she screeched.
"You and I both know it's more than that!" Atom yelled back.
Cora froze, her mind a wreck. How on earth did this robot guess that? Not even Zane picked up on it, and he's like a brother to me! She simply couldn't wrap her head around it. Still reluctant, she broadened her shoulders.
"How would you know anything about me?" she snapped. His eyes were filled with persistence, and it was obvious that she wasn't going to be left alone tonight.
"That's why I brought up this whole conversation! I want to know more about your past! I care about you, Cora!" he shouted desperately.
"Don't bother! My past is something I want to forget!" her pain was building up inside her, becoming stronger and stronger. "You don't know what it's like!"
"I don't know what it's like? You're lucky you even remember your past! I have no clue what happened to me!"
"You're LUCKY THEN!" she screamed back, her eyes swelling with more tears. Atom gave her a look, obviously not catching on to her opinion on how not knowing your own past was a good thing. With a quick breath she continued. "Not having to have the guilt!" she gasped, clenching her chest. "The pain, the dread! Where every moment you feel happy, there's always that knowing that it'll come back to you in your sleep!" the robot pulled back a bit, frowning as each word left her mouth. "Knowing that no matter what you do, you can't go back! Knowing it was your fault!" by now Cora was in full tears, scrunching her hair as it all came rushing back. Every single image of that night, fresh in her mind, slamming down on her heart like a bullet to the leg. She felt so helpless, not being able to punish the one responsible because it was her own doings.
"It was my fault!" she whimpered, her voice becoming a harsh whisper as she slumped to her knees, burying her head. She didn't care that Atom was there anymore. She just wanted to scream. She wanted it all to just leave her be for good.
She wanted to die, there and then.
"It was my fault..." she whispered, shaking hands clenching her legs as she pulled them to her chest. She didn't hear Atom move for a long while. But soon, crunching of feet arose, mixing in with the soft sounds of the night. Before long, a warmth met her side as he quietly sat down next to her, his jumper softly brushing against her shoulder. She took a few deep breaths, looking out to the lake. Oh, how she wished she could sail on it forever. To leave everything behind- Zane, Widget, Sludge, the circus, her past...and that trail of destruction she always seems to leave behind. She wished she would run away. Run away from running away from everything. To have a re-set button, to re-do so many mistakes.
Of course, no such thing existed. She just had to live with all her problems, and she did that by bottling it up inside, and covering it with a tough shell. Never letting any of it out. Never.
Why did life hate her so much? Why couldn't she be raised by a normal family, in a normal town? Why couldn't she have a normal child hood? If she had her way, she should be working at a successful company, living in a nice house with a caring boyfriend and many siblings to talk to. And a mother. And a farther.
Why, why couldn't it just be normal?
Why was she stuck out on this river bed, crying her heart out about how she screwed up her life, with a giant mystery sitting next to her?
Taking more breaths as Atom remained silent, she thought on what she should do. Do I tell him my past? She thought. I've never told anyone, and I like it that way. I don't want any pity. No reminders. But it's just a robot...no more that talking to a brick wall, right? Her mind raced, noting that Atom wasn't exactly the perfectly well-mannered robot she was used too. He wouldn't tell anyone...
With a close of her eyes for a few seconds, Cora inhaled through her nose and snapped them open.
Time to reveal her past.