After leaving the Com Room I was in a foul mood. Instead of trying to help me Forge accuses me of lying, I thought to myself as I wandered the halls of N-Tek. With no idea where I was going I just kept walking and soon found myself outside Berto's lab.
"How did I end up here?" I said out loud. After some hesitation I decided to go inside. As soon as I walked through the door I found Berto standing in front of C.Y.T.R.O. As I watched I noticed he was wearing a wielders mask and using a blowtorch. Deciding not to interrupt I leant against the wall closest to the door and tried to figure out just what he was doing. After a few minutes curiosity got the better of me and I spoke up. Finally noticing I was there, Berto turned off the blowtorch and set it down on the table nearby. Lifting the mask he grinned when he realized it was me.
"Que pasa?" He said and when he saw the unhappy look on my face, he frowned. "What's wrong?" He asked as I sighed for the umpteenth time, looking down at the floor.
"Forge doesn't trust me. He called me a liar and I stormed out on him." I told him. Then to his surprise I looked him straight in the eye. "Do you think I'm lying?" I asked him and he seemed to take a long time to answer. Not looking at me he scratched his chin, possibly thinking about just how to answer. When a full minute had passed and he didn't give me an answer I grew angry.
"I knew it! Is there anyone here who doesn't think I'm a liar?" I complained feeling like the whole world was out to get me. Miserable I didn't notice Berto pat me on the shoulder. When I looked up at him, he smiled back.
"Look I believe you. It's possible that you hit your head before you ended up in the canyon and that's why you can't remember a thing. It makes sense if you think about it." Berto told me and I gave a sad smile.
"Finally someone actually trusts me. Thank you." I said and he grinned. "I'm actually kind of interested in what you were doing when I walked in." I added, pointing to C.Y.T.R.O.
"Would you believe trying to reattach his head?" Berto answered and I started laughing. After a moment Berto joined in. Thankfully I stopped before I got the hiccups, which usually happens when I laugh too hard.
"How's it working out so far?" I asked when I could breathe again. Before Berto had time to respond C.Y.T.R.O's head hit the ground and rolled, ending up against my feet.
"Not so good. It's kind of a two person job." He answered as I picked up the robot's head and handed it back to Berto.
"Need a hand?" I asked and he nodded.
Together we walked over to C.Y.T.R.O and I held his head on. Picking up the blowtorch again, Berto told me to keep my face pointed away from the sparks and pulled the wielders mask over his face again. Taking his advice I kept my face turned away while I held the robot's head steady where its shoulders would be. A few seconds later Berto told me that it was safe as he pulled the mask off and turned off the torch. Placing them on the table beside him, he turned to me.
"How did I do?" I asked as I moved my head to look.
"Great. His head is back on. Thanks for your help." Berto said, holding his hand out for a high five. Grinning I obliged.
"You're welcome. It's nice to be appreciated." I said to him.
"Is there anything I can do for you?" Berto asked just as my stomach made its presence known with a loud grumble. I tried not to blush as Berto snorted. "Then lunch it is." He said and I followed.
As we walked side by side I noticed that it was pretty quiet at N-Tek and asked Berto why that was.
"Most people who work at N-Tek have probably gone home by now so it's pretty quiet around here. Which actually works well for me because I can get a lot of work done, without any interruptions." Berto explained and I felt a little guilty. Noticing the expression on my face, he smiled. "I mean like the Elementors or Dredd, not you of course." He added and I grinned back at him.
Eventually we reached a huge room and I found myself in what I guessed was the cafeteria. Like the lab it was huge. As I stared in amazement Berto asked me something. Having missed what he said I asked if he could repeat it.
"I asked what you wanted." He said and asked if they had cheeseburgers here. With a smile he nodded and went to get what I wanted, telling me to sit wherever I felt like sitting. As I waited I chose a table with two seats opposite each other and sat down. Soon Berto returned with two cheeseburgers and two drinks, which he placed on the table in front of me and sat down.
"Thanks." I said and he nodded. As we ate I tried to think of something to say. Of course this time I drew a blank. Thankfully Berto spoke up with a question.
"So what did you do before you ended up in the canyon?" He asked.
"The usual; went to high school, watched movies and listened to music." I answered, pausing to take a sip of my drink. "Also showing off my mad dancing skills." I added as an afterthought.
"Oh really? Bet they're nothing special." Berto replied and as I bristled I came to the realization that he was trying to egg me on. I stood up and leaned slightly towards him, an evil grin on my face.
"Hmm. So you wouldn't mind backing that up by having a dance competition. Winner gets bragging rights." I said and he grinned.
"Fine. If you want to lose that badly." Berto replied as he stood up. Taking back our trays, he returned and handed me a piece of paper. Looking closer I noticed a detailed map drawn on it. "Those are directions to the training room. Meet me there in half an hour." He told me and left me standing there. After a moment I smiled to myself.
This is one dance competition that I can't afford to lose especially not to you Berto.