My Life As A Teenage Robot Porn Story: Android Scam Chapter 5
Android Scam
A My Life as a
Teenage Robot Fanfic
Chapter Five
Welcome to the Club
Jenny, Brad, and a few other students stood in front of the
open doorway of the gymnasium, staring out at what used to be the school
ground.P Everything within two hundred
yards of the school looked as if it had been covered with a gurgling layer of
silver-green syrup.P Waves and waves of
silver androids were sprinting towards the gym.P Thousands of faintly glowing green eyes bore down on their
primary target XJ-9.
Brad and Jenny slowly turned their heads towards each other.
That, said Brad, is a lot of robots.
Everybody get away from the doors!!! shouted Jenny.P You too, Brad.P This is going to get nasty.
The sight of an army of charging Cluster androids did plenty
to clear away the students.P Jenny
extended her arms and activated the lasers in her palms; theyd worked pretty
well in the cafeteria.P But she wanted a
little something extra now.P A panel
opened in the middle of her back, deploying and telescoping over her head into
a fantastic particle beam weapon twelve feet long.P It hummed to life with a high-pitched whine, crackling with arcs
of electricity.
When the first row of Cluster androids got to within twenty
feet, Jenny opened fire.
The barrel of the particle beam glowed white hot.P Blue bolts of energy ripped into the first
grouping of silver androids, with lethal results.P Androids flew apart into hundreds of tiny pieces.P Flaming globs of silver goo sprayed the
ground and the outside wall of the gym, burning into charred black clumps.P The particle beam cut wide swaths into the
advancing waves of Cluster robots.P
Jenny joined in with her palm laser-blasts, picking off stragglers that
she missed with her more powerful weapon.P
Silver bodies flew into the air, sometimes intact, sometimes in
pieces.P Sometimes the pieces would
liquefy and start to rebuild a new android.P
But some of the pieces simply sat burning, or inert.
Jenny allowed herself a confident smile.P Wow, Mom really did a great job on this
thing, she thought.P With no power
in the school, it was lighting up the inside of the gym like a strobe.P And she was holding the androids off.P They still came, though.P They charged headlong into Jennys laser and
particle fire with a chilling enthusiasm.P
Mindless slaves, in the service of
the Cluster.P Well, theyre not getting
past me.
Unfortunately,
there was another set of double doors to the gym.
Jenny heard a loud
crashing noise come from behind her, and shouts from the students.P She backed up a few steps and looked to her
right, to see dozens and dozens of silver-green androids pouring through a wide
hole in the south doors, which were almost completely dissolved away.P They scraped and slid a bit on the slick
varnished hardwood, but most were barreling right for her at top speed.P Oh
no.
She turned her arms
to fire at the androids inside the gym she wanted to avoid using the particle
beam indoors if she could.P Once again,
silver androids were catapulted into the air as Jennys blasts landed. PBut now her attention was divided into two
directions, and she was having a hard time keeping track of two attacks at once
That was when the
doors from the hallway rippled into a silver-green paste and sloughed away like
melting fudge.P The androids from the
hallway, the front doors, and the cafeteria poured into the gym, spilling over
each other, analyzing the gymnasium.P
There were over two hundred Cluster androids inside the gym already,
with more streaming in every second.
A large group of
androids broke away from their attack on Jenny, and started approaching the
students menacingly, backing them into the northwest corner of the gym.
Jenny looked over
her shoulder in alarm.P Guys!P Hold on!P
Ill be right there!
She backed away
from the open doorway.P The Cluster
androids were already inside the gym; there was no sense in trying to keep this
bunch out.P Jenny ran sideways, trying
to hold off legions of silver androids with her palm lasers, trying to reach
her friends.P As soon as she stopped
firing with her particle beam, a column of silver androids poured in through
the open doors.
Jenny deactivated
her beam weapons, and cracked open her elbow joints.P A long blade extended from each arm, unfolding and extending into
a pair of ten-foot long machetes.P Jenny
churned her arms furiously, sweeping her way through the crowd of androids in
the gym.P Slices of silver android
clattered to the floor and sailed into the air as Jenny made her way towards
her friends, trying to defend them from Cluster enslavement.P It was really getting crowded in there now,
what with the student body corralled off to one wall, and upwards of four
hundred silver androids running in circles around Jenny, trying to formulate a
plan of attack.
Suddenly Jenny was
knocked off her feet by a blow from above.P
Eight silver androids had jumped at her from the top of the wall, where
a fresh hole to the outside had just been dissolved away, ushering in yet
another group of invaders.P Jenny rolled
on the floor, and instantly, fifty-five Cluster androids pounced, trying to
immobilize her.
With a quick
adjustment, Jennys machetes converted into chainsaws, and revved up to full
power.P She lashed out her left arm in a
wide arc, filling the air with hundreds of metallic silver fragments, and dozens
of mangled androids.P Back on her feet,
she had to keep swinging her arms, left and right, to beat her way through the
silver horde, trying to get between the students and the attackers.P Suddenly she felt half a dozen hands against
her back.P She swung her right leg
backwards, kicking two Cluster androids with such force that they sailed
through the ceiling like bottle rockets.P
More androids came at her from the front.P She swung her leg forward, converted it into a jackhammer, and
started lunging with it.P Her attackers
vibrated furiously and exploded into silver gravel.
Dont care how many
there are.P Im not giving up.
The Cluster
androids surrounding the students started to shimmer, and stretch.P They started crossing and overlapping their
arms and legs, transforming their android bodies into a living fence.P The student body was now imprisoned within a
silver holding pen.P The Cluster had
herded every human in the school to one spot, for easy collection.P An exercise in robotic efficiency.
And the androids
were learning.P While they were
mindlessly happy to rush into one of Jennys withering attacks, they seemed to
realize that attacking from many directions at once would eventually wear Jenny
down.P Androids started leaping through
the air, to attack her from above.P
Androids further away from her would co-operate to toss still other
androids at her, like a medieval catapult.
Jenny retracted her
chainsaws and jackhammer, and deployed a pair of large steel mallets from her
arms.P She cut through the air even
faster now, with a frenzy borne of fury and desperation.P The heavy mallet head connected with android
chests, android heads, android backs, with such speed that the gym was filled
with a sound like machine gun fire.P
Crushed and deformed androids sailed into the air almost as fast as
fresh androids jumped back towards Jenny.P
Puddles of shimmering silver-green sludge started to form on the gyms
hardwood floor as the damaged Cluster androids paused to repair themselves,
before rejoining the battle.
Jenny felt arms
start to coil around her neck and back.P
Frantically, she shrugged them off, spun around, and swung both
mallet-hands over her head, coming down brutally on her android attackers.P The androids sprayed into a curtain of
silver paste, but she instantly felt more arms coiling around her right arm and
right leg.
Too many.P Theres just too many No way.P Im not giving up.
Bright twin jets of
flame blasted from her pigtails, and Jenny took to the air in the spacious
gymnasium.P The roof was forty feet high
in here.PP She managed to peel off three
androids from her back, launching them into the seething crowd like
missiles.P Now that she was above the
floor, she could get a good look at the situation.
The students were
trapped in a living cage of silver, but didnt appear to be in any immediate
danger.P Every square foot of space on
the hardwood was covered by silver androids, all focused on her.P They were starting to climb
the walls.P More androids poured in from
both double-doors, and through four different holes in the south and east
walls.P While she had destroyed hundreds
in the past few minutes, the number of androids inside the gym only continued
to grow.P There were currently six
hundred and thirty-one.P On top of that,
streams of silver-green goo were starting to drip down the walls, as the pipes
were consumed by the nano-probes.P The
scoreboard was starting to warp and melt.P
Silver sludge was dripping from the ventilation ducts overhead
The bottom of two
ventilation shafts broke open, and dozens of silver androids dropped towards
Jenny from above.P She was surprised
momentarily, but weaved back and forth until she could unhinge her elbows to
deploy two massive laser rifles.P
Hovering with her pigtails, Jenny opened fire on the attack from the
ceiling.P Bright white pulses of laser
fire filled the air.P Androids shuddered
and splattered into silver chunks, tumbling past Jenny to clatter against the
floor below.P
The mob of androids
on the floor continued their strategy of catapulting attackers at Jenny from
all sides.P The androids on the walls
were jumping off at her, like huge silver insects.P And the androids beneath her could either leap up to grab onto
her legs, or extend tentacle-arms to try and haul her back down to the
floor.P New waves of androids dropped
from the ceiling.P She was being
assaulted from every direction.
All right.P Thats enough.P Jenny split open her pale blue
leg housings, deploying an additional pair of huge plasma cannons that were
bigger than the laser rifles on her arms.P
She opened up with everything she had.P
Blasts of laser and plasma ripped through the air, knocking androids
into the walls, splitting them into pieces, shattering them into smoking
debris.P The room pulsed with yellow and
orange flashes, and a deafening roar of laser fire and shattered metal filled
the room.P Jenny started to rotate in
mid-air, firing in all directions, up and down, three hundred and sixty
degrees, until she was a barely visible pale blue blur, dishing out a
staggering amount of scorching firepower.P
The silver Cluster androids were cut down in the hundreds.P They started to fall back.P Jenny was gaining the upper hand
But that was when
she heard the first crack.
In her desperation
and excitement, she forgot about the actual building itself.P In a short amount of time, it had suffered
an astonishing amount of damage from her weapons, and from the feeding
nano-probes.P The wall surfaces that were
not covered with dripping silver goo were scarred black with laser and plasma strikes.P So was the ceiling.P And a small crack in the ceiling, directly
above the trapped students, grew rapidly larger.
Suddenly, a
fifteen-foot slab broke loose and fell from the ceiling.P The students screamed and tried to shield
themselves, but could barely move.
Oh, no!!!P
Theyll be crushed!!!P With amazing speed, Jenny retracted her
lasers, sped over to the holding pen, and caught the debris.
But that short
break in her defense was all the androids needed.P Ninety-six Cluster androids leapt off of the wall, knocking her
and the roof debris to the middle of gym floor.
Silver arms wrapped
around her torso, her neck, her legs.P
She managed to knock a few away, but hundreds of androids were waiting
for her on the floor.P Androids coiled
themselves around Jennys legs and then drove their own arms and legs into the
floor, turning into restraints.P
Androids wrapped tentacle-arms around Jennys arms, immobilizing
her.P Still more androids hundreds of
them stretched and intertwined their bodies into living steel cables,
securing her arms to the walls and ceiling.P
Androids even molded their arms into plugs for her pigtail-jets.P Jenny grimaced and struggled, trying to find
some degree of freedom in her living silver shackles.P But whenever she tried to break the pull of the silver Cluster
swarm, the strain started to crack the walls of the gym.P Jenny was extremely strong, and would have
eventually broken free, even from the grip of nine hundred and fourteen androids.P But not without pulling the gym down on top
of her, and the trapped students.
She sighed, and stopped struggling.P Jenny managed to glance over towards the
students, packed tight like sardines in their Cluster cage.P They knew Jenny was their only hope against
the invaders, and now that hope was lost.P
A few sobs drifted from the crowd.
Sorry, guys, said Jenny, her pigtails drooping.
Among the student prisoners, Brad was pressed up against the
fence.P He had watched every second of
his friends amazing fight.P You were
awesome, Jen, he said, trying to smile.
Jenny tried to smile back, but couldnt.P She knew she was in serious trouble.
The echo of a pair of metal claws, slowly clapping, filled
the gym.
Well, Brah-vooo, that was quite a display, XJ-9, said a
loud, metallic, sarcastic voice.
Omicron Twelve strolled casually into the gymnasium from the
hallway, in no particular hurry, and clasped his claws behind his back.P He glanced around at the destruction,
looking a bit bored.P Stanley sped in
right behind him, with his cranium-lights flashing, and actively working his
remote control with all six of his hands.
The tall red insectoid strolled arrogantly up to Jenny,
pinching her cheek.P Gotten all of that
out of our system, have we?P Hmmm?P Ready to come to our senses?
Jenny yanked her face away, giving Omicron a hateful look
that couldve burned through a cinder block.
Stanley glanced around the gym, looking very impressed.P Sweet Mother of Asimov!P He whistled.P You really tore this place up, little lady!P Lets see eight minutes and forty-two
seconds.P I have to admit, you gave my
nano-probe army more than I bargained for.P
By my calculations, you should have been captured over sixty-five
seconds ago.P I never thought you would
go past eight minutes.P Never.
Omicron grinned smugly at Stanley, who rolled his eyes.P All right, all right, I guess I owe you ten
bucks.
Jenny growled at them, with a bit of fear and a lot of
fury.P Ill NEVER join the
Cluster.P NEVER.
Omicron chuckled.P
Well, its not exactly like you have a choice.
He turned to walk towards the students, staring down to
intimidate them.P Yechhh.P This is the scrawniest batch yet.P Humans, let this be a lesson to you.P In all the known universe, none are more
powerful than the Cluster.
He slowly paced, strutting in front of his prisoners.P The noble robot is naturally a more
advanced form of life than miserable meat puppets like yourselves.P And the Cluster is the highest achievement of
robotkind in the galaxy.P Once XJ-9
understands this, we will welcome her into the Cluster family, and she will
rule over you like a queen.P A queen
loyal to Queen Vexus, of course.
Hundreds of silver-green androids continued to walk and
crawl around the gym, staring at their masters with featureless green
eyes.P Even with Jenny immobile, extra
androids approached her to add their strength to her bonds.P The Cluster wasnt taking any chances this
time.
Omicron Twelve and Stanley, flanked by a dozen silver
Cluster androids, strolled over to stand a few feet from Jenny.P The Warrior Commander held out one of his
arms, producing a small yellow box.
Jenny strained in her android-arm bonds, enough that flakes
of plaster started to drift from cracks in the ceiling.P You cant hold me forever!
Omicron reached into the box and pulled out a small,
black-and-yellow robot wasp.P We only need
to hold you for fifteen seconds.
Jenny tried to move her head away, but twenty-six silver
hands clamped on to hold it steady.P
More silver androids approached to fully immobilize her.
Omicron held the wasp out for Jenny to see, and then dropped
it on top of her head.
No! she squealed.
Now it just has to gain access to your internal
systems.P Hmmm.P The eye sockets?P Maybe the mouth?
Jenny slammed her eyelids and held her mouth closed, as
tight as she could.P She could feel the
Cluster wasp walking around the top of her head, looking for a way inside Ewww
ewww ewww
Ah yes, there is a seam on the back of her neck.P Thatll do nicely.
Never join never
The robotic insect crawled down her metal cheek.
Jenny felt the clickety-clickety-click of its tiny
legs on the back of her neck
Then it was gone.
Jenny was cringing, expecting the worst, expecting some
Cluster signal to start broadcasting instructions into her brain immediately,
turning her into a drooling robot slave.
But she didnt feel differently at all.
She cracked open her eyes.P
Whats going on?
Omicron Twelve and Stanley had the same look on their faces
as well.P Omicron was confused, and was
shouting at Stanley.P What are you doing?P What do you think youre doing?
Stanley was madly working every control on his handheld
remote.P Im not doing anything!P This doesnt make any sense!!!
Standing between Jenny and the two Cluster robots was a
single, shimmering silver-green android.P
And in its hand was the little yellow robot wasp that it had just
picked off of Jennys neck.
The silver android was behaving strangely, almost as if it
was having convulsions.P It shivered,
and heaved, and closed its green eyes, as if in pain.P Its mouth was twisted into a snarl.P Wait a second its mouth?
The silver android heaved one more time and spat.
Jenny couldnt help herself.P Ewww excuse you.P
Too weird.
The silver android was now holding two little
yellow-and-black robot wasps, their legs wriggling madly, in its hand.P It made a fist, and with a wonderful
crunching sound, it ground the little demons into smears of metal flakes.
Then it turned its head, a head with a mouth and pale green
eyes eyes with pupils in them.P It
spoke to Jenny, slowly.P A single
word.P Remote.
She was dumbstruck.P What
is that supposed to mean?
The silver face repeated itself.P Remote.
Jenny glanced at Omicron Twelve and Stanley, who were now
very agitated and upset, bickering amongst themselves.P Get the link back!P Whats wrong with that stupid thing?P Boost the signal!
She looked back to the strange silver android.P Its mouth turned into a tired smile.
We androids have to look out for each other right?
Her mouth dropped open.P
Drew?
The two Cluster robots started to argue loudly now, snapping
Jennys attention back to her predicament.P
He said Remote.P Remote?P Where have I heard that
Time seemed to slow down, and Jenny remembered a
conversation from the day before.
So, all these radio waves beaming at our school are for
what, exactly? asked Brad.P A Cluster
radio station?
Most certainly not, answered Mom.P They are most likely some form of remote
control signal.
A remote control signal Mom was picking up their remote
control signal yesterday!P Mom was right
all along! POh, BROTHER.P Shes NEVER going to let me hear the end of
this.P I can hear her now.P I told you so, young lady.P Always listen to your mother, XJ-9!P Aaarrrgh.
Jenny looked back towards Omicron and Stanley, who were
paying more attention to Stanleys remote control than they were to her.P His remote control does he actually
control every single one of these Cluster zombie creeps with that
thing?P Is that what remote means?
Jenny squinted, and her eyes grew red-hot.P A beam of energy shot out of her eyes and
blasted the remote control out of Stanleys hands, searing them in the
process.P The complex controller broke
into flaming pieces of metal and plastic, and crumbled to the floor.
Stanley screamed in anguish.P NOOOO!!!
He spun around in circles, waving his burning hands in the
air.P Omicron Twelve looked completely
lost, and more than a little nervous.
Throughout the gymnasium, one thousand, six hundred and
eight-eight pairs of silver android eyes dimmed to a dull green, and looked
confused.P The silver androids stood
around idly, suddenly without orders or instructions.P Jenny could see it on their faces, and she could feel it in the
slight slackening of their collective grip
HI-YAAAAHHH!!!
With a triumphant yell, Jenny drove her arms free of the
hundreds of androids imprisoning her, sending silver bodies tumbling through
space like dandelion seeds.P The
androids who had coiled together to form the living cables simply and stupidly
fell to the floor with a crash that shook the whole gym.P Hundreds of silver-green androids clanged
off of the walls.P Her arms now free,
Jenny cracked open her elbows and deployed another set of blades that expanded
into a pair of long samurai swords.P
With a blur of swift strikes, she broke free of her leg restraints, and
jumped into the air, sending even more androids flying in the process.P She somersaulted and landed five feet in
front of Omicron Twelve and Stanley, in a fighting pose and a mood for payback.
You know, guys, I guess I just havent gotten it all out of
my system, she grinned.
Omicron Twelve and Stanley stopped arguing.P They turned and stared.P Stanleys cranium lights stopped flashing.
Ho boy.
Jenny swung her right arm with blinding speed and brought it
to a stop one-half inch from Stanleys stunned face.P Bring him back, she ordered.
Stanley, still waving his blackened fingers, stammered with
confusion.P Bring who back?P I dont know what youre talking about!P Aaaarrghh, how did this happen?
Insolent young robot! bellowed Omicron Twelve.P Nobody gives orders to the Cluster!!!P A panel on his massive right forearm opened,
deploying a twin-barreled energy weapon that was humming to life.
Schwick!
Jenny just smiled at Omicron Twelve.P He didnt understand why until he saw the
lower half of his right arm, weapon and all, neatly slide off and crash to the
floor.P Electricity crackled from both
halves of his severed limb.
Ahhhhh technically, nobody gives us orders, but, its
always a pleasure to talk to a fine young robot like yourself, miss.P Heh-heh.P
Please continue.
Thank you.P
Jenny turned back to the Cluster scientist.P You created these monsters.P
Now you can un-create them and bring Drew back.
Stanley huffed and waved his six arms at jenny.P Drew?P
Wha you mean the naked monkey with the metal peg-leg?P You silly robot!P Havent you been listening?P
Jenny lightly tapped Stanleys body with the tip of her sword, cutting
off the tip of a small antenna.P
Silly?P I meant charming!P Charming young robot!P You know, if I had a daughter, Id want her
to be a spunky little minx like you P
Jennys eyes told him Im starting to lose my patience.
Stanley tried to gather himself.P Look, I told you kid, hes gone.P Kaput.P The nano-probes
converted him.P They cant un-eat him
any more than one of your little human friends can un-eat a tuna sandwich.P Its a moot point, anyway.P Their software seems to be corrupted.P They stopped responding to the signal.P The system is about to crash.
What do you mean, crash?
Stanley continued, wiggling his fingers.P My nano-probes are little smarties, but,
the Cluster, ehh, were not really big on independent thinking, free will, that
sort of thing.P So the remote control
signal allowed me to give orders to the androids.P We wanted to make sure that they were only doing what we wanted
them to do.P And now, thanks to you,
Miss Heat Vision, that signal has been cut off.P The nano-probes Stanley mourned, oh, my beautiful little
nano-probes without a command signal, theyre going to activate their
safeties.
And what does that mean? demanded Jenny.
The floor begin to gently shake with a faint vibration.P The background noise of slurping ooze seemed
to change.P From a distance, outside the
school, they head a hiss, and a low rumble.
Stanley sped to the open doors of the gym, startling Jenny
with his boldness.P Omicron Twelve
lurched over behind him.P Jenny followed
them both, keeping an eye on the two Cluster invaders, and to see what the
strange noise was coming from outside.
The silver nano-ooze had spread to cover several acres in
shimmering silver-green sludge.P But
now, the ooze was boiling and bubbling, gurgling frantically, shooting thin
tendrils into the air that plopped harmlessly back to earth.P The entire surface of the lake no longer
rolled with thick waves of syrupy goo; instead, it seethed with a chaos of
silver-white froth.P Thousands of
silver-green androids stood motionless, staring in random directions with dull
gray eyes.P A low, dull rumble seemed to
come from all directions, from the far outside edge of the nano-probes
expanse.
The nano-probes frothed a bright yellow, with a sound that
could almost pass for a shriek, and collapsed into a coarse gray ash.P A thin curtain of dust drifted up from the
boundaries of the school property, as the nano-probes started to commit mass
suicide.P A thin strip of yellow started
to flow over the nano-ooze like a wave, with a high-pitched hiss, turning shiny
silver fluid into inert gray sand.P The
yellow strip rushed towards the school.
Stanley waved his six blackened hands in the air.P Oh, no, no, noooo all that work
for nothing!!!
Omicron Twelve punched Stanley in the back of the head.P Well, thats just great.P Way to go, most highly evolved robotic
intelligence known to the galaxy.
The yellow stripe roared closer to the school, leaving a
thick layer of sandy gray ash behind it.P
The rumbling and vibrations grew a little stronger.P The stripe washed over the football
bleachers, turning them from oozing silver to gray ash, and they collapsed to
the ground with a hiss like a sand castle.P The thick deep lake, where the parking lot used to be, went next,
seething and frothing into ash with a spine-curdling scream.P The streetlights, the backstop on the ball
field, any structure of nano-probes collapsed into a gray sand dunes.P Silver androids shuddered briefly as the
yellow stripe washed over them, then frothed into aP bright yellow and turned to ash, falling into the gray carpet now
covering the ground.
Omicron Twelve grabbed Stanleys head in his massive left
claw and took a few steps backward from the door.P Well, theres six months research budget down the old recycling
tubes.P All right, were out of
here.P Farewell, XJ-9!!!P Mark my words, one day, you will join the
Cluster!P One day soon!!!P He pressed a button on his torso, and the
two Cluster robots were enveloped in crackling, purple sphere of energy.P They started to dematerialize before Jennys
eyes.
The Queen is going to nail my chassis to the wall for this
one, moaned Omicron Twelve.
Stanley obsessed over his burned hands.P Oy, Ill never play the piano
again.
They faded into nothingness, and with one last flash of
bright purple light, and a spiraling blast of wind, the Cluster invaders were
gone.
The nano-probes were flashing into coarse soot in all
directions.P The yellow stripe was more
like a giant ring around the school, and it was shrinking towards the gym.P The walls, furniture, and tables in the
cafeteria flashed into froth and sunk into a layer of gray sand.P A sound like a hissing wave rushed through
the hallways as the nano-probes flashed into yellow foam, leaving harmless
piles of soot and ash behind.
The walls of the gym started to shake along with the floor,
and the rumbling drew closer.P The
students exchanged looks of renewed concern.P
With the Cluster robots gone, Jenny ran back towards the middle of the
gym, weaving her way through silver Cluster androids that simply ignored her
now.P She stopped to look for one android
in particular the only one with eyes and a mouth, that had saved her from the
robot wasp.P It was motionless like the
other hundreds of silver androids.P But
she could see a touch of fear in its eyes.
Suddenly, the hissing noise filled the gymnasium as the
yellow stripe contracted towards the crowd of androids.P Hundreds of androids frothed into a foam
with a bright yellow flash, and collapsed into piles of sandy soot, covering
the hardwood of the gym with a layer two feet thick.P Androids clinging to the walls sloughed into ash and flowed to
the floor.P Gray sandy ash poured from
the overhead ventilation ducts.P The
yellow stripe washed over the living cage holding the students, which foamed,
and blew into the air as a shower of sand.P
Students tumbled forwards into the sooty residue, released from their
brief stint as prisoners.
And the remainder of the silver androids foamed and flashed
yellow, as the Cluster safety shutdown finally ran to completion.P One by one, pillars of gray sandy ash
collapsed to the floor.P Jenny watched
the android in front of her froth a bright yellow, and turn into a statue of
light grey ash, which blew into the air
No, only a thin layer of dust from the surface of the
android, which looked a little different now.
Jenny gazed in amazement.
A six-foot humanoid figure stood in front of her, its color
a mix of light and dark grays.P A few
dull green stripes ran over its surface, in jagged patterns, like a circuit
board.P And its face looked almost
human, with a nose, mouth with clenched teeth, and two eyes tightly closed
shut.P A swath of dark gray metal on top
of its head suggested hair.P The face
looked familiar.
The android shuddered slightly, its eyes opened with a faint
green glow, and it spoke.
Reboot Complete!P
Thank you for using Android OS 2000.P
Good-bye!
Then the glow faded away, leaving a pair of white eyes with
black pupils.
The android blinked, looking rather stunned.
Drew? asked Jenny, softly.
The android blinked a few more times.
I think so.
The students started to walk and run around the gym,
stomping through gray sand, kicking it in the air, shouting with joy.P A large group, led by Brad, surrounded
Jenny, patting her on the back and shoulders, filling the gym with cheers
ofP Way to go! and You da bomb!
A look of relief came over Drews face.P Ohhhh the voices are gone.P Oh, my freaking head.P He rubbed his forehead, then held his hands
his new hands in front of him, turning them over, inspecting them
with a stunned look on his face.P He
made a fist and gently rapped the side of his head.P Sure enough the sound of metal on metal.
Jenny grabbed Drew by the shoulders he looked like he
would faint in shock at any moment.P
Drew?P You okay?P What do you remember?
All of it.P He
gulped, hard.P I think Id like to sit
down for a minute.P Unfortunately I
think I ate all the chairs.
Brad eased his hands into his pockets, looking around the
inside of the remains of the gym.P You
could see outside through nine different holes in the walls and the
ceiling.P And as bad as it was, it was
essentially the only room in the school left standing.P Bits and pieces of debris continued to drop
to the ground, kicking up fine gray dust that drifted lightly in the air.
He smiled at Jenny.P
So, think well get off early today?
Drew was lying flat on a metal table, staring up at an
intimidating device that glowed and crackled with orange arcs of electrical
discharge.P Motors whined, tilting a
long metal probe to point directly at his head.P A droning hum increased in volume, filling the basement of the
Wakeman home.P Um, Dr. Wakeman, not
that I dont appreciate this and all, but is this thing safe?
Please!P Its perfectly
safe, she answered, as she dropped the large black goggles over her eyes.P Then she put on a safety helmet, pulled on a
pair of thick, heavy leather gloves, and stepped behind a thick metal panel
labeled Blast Shield.P All
right, here we go!P She flipped a knife
switch, beneath a sign reading Danger High Voltage, and a deep thrummm
echoed in the room.
No phone call from the governor, I guess.P Drew gulped as the probe shone with a
brilliant white light, spitting off bolts of electricity.P The probe fired a bright scanning beam that
swept over the length of Drews metallic body, head to feet and back
again.P Sort of feels like Im in a
giant copy machine.P Made of a million
needles.
There, said Mrs. Wakeman, removing her safety equipment,
now that wasnt so bad, was it?P
Honestly, you teenagers are so melodramatic.
Drew slid up, blinking from the lights, and sat on the edge
of the table.P He pointed at a large
video display on the wall.P Is that
what I look like on the inside?
Mrs. Wakeman was already studying the full body scan.P The image looked like an x-ray, but Drews
insides appeared flowing and featureless.P
There was a kind of structure, but it spread throughout his body like a
honeycomb, rather than a skeleton, or a chassis.P Strong and flexible.P No
bones, no organs, no muscles.P No gears,
no pumps, no motors.
Fascinating, she mumbled.P
Variable atomic structure.P
Distributed energy generation.P
Non-centralized molecular computing.P
She rubbed her hands together with glee.P Oh, I feel like a little girl on Christmas morning!P When XJ-9 asked me to help discover what had
happened to you, Andrew, I had no idea it would involve the latest
Cluster technology!P The research
possibilities are endless!P Now
where to begin, where to begin
The basement door opened, and heavy footsteps clanked
down the stairs.P Jenny was carrying a
large wooden crate on one shoulder that had to weigh at least five hundred
pounds.P Mom?P Im back.P I got that
spare part for your cyclotron that you asked for.
Mrs. Wakeman was going through reams of data on one of her
computer screens, excitedly jotting down notes on a clipboard.P Hmm?P
Oh, thank you XJ-9, just set that down anywhere.P She turned back to her computers.
Jenny dropped the crate to the floor.P Hey, Drew!P
So, hows the examination going?
Check it out, said Drew, pointing to the video
display.P Im a six-foot blob of
metallic pizza dough.
Lets just take a closer look now, shall we?P Mrs. Wakeman picked up a thin metal wand and
walked over next to Drew.P Just extend
your pinkie finger, if you please, Andrew.
Drew stuck out the pinkie on his right hand, a bit
wary.P O-kay.
Mrs. Wakeman clicked a button on the metal wand, and a
glowing, six-inch energy blade leapt out.P
With a quick flick of her wrist, she sliced off Drews pinkie finger,
catching it with a sample dish in her other hand.P A moment of horror flashed on Drews face, until he saw the
smoldering stub of his finger shimmer and turn a shiny silver.P A thin silver-green blob oozed out of the
stub, forming into a new finger.P In
five seconds, his hand was restored to normal.
Drew stared, a little stunned, at Mrs. Wakeman.P Doc, Im going to assume you knew
that was going to happen.
I had a ninety-two percent confidence level, she
answered.P Now, Im just going to run
this nano-probe sample through the quantum microscope.P Dont go anywhere!P She shuffled off to a different part of the
basement.
Jenny pointed at Drews hand.P Wow.P That was a
neat trick.
Yeah, said Drew, its a good thing I seem to be built to
take punishment.
So how are you holding up?
Well, your moms scanned me, electrocuted me, irradiated
me, sampled me like I said, its a good thing I seem to be built to
take punishment.
No, no, giggled Jenny.P
Then her face turned serious.P I
mean, how are you doing?
Oh.P Well, I
feel pretty good, I guess.
You okay?
Yeah yeah, sure.
Okay, said Jenny.P I
guess he just doesnt want to talk about it..P Well thats good, then.
They were silent for a few awkward seconds.
Then Drew sighed, and took a deep breath.P Yesterday, I was pretty freaked out.P When I got home my mom and dad took it
pretty hard.P Can hardly blame
them.P After mom finally unlocked the
bathroom door and came out, they said we should go to the doctor.P We went to the hospital, and the doctor said
I should go to a mechanic.P We went to a
garage, and the mechanic said I should go to an exorcist.
Ouch, said Jenny.P
Thats pretty harsh.
Couldnt sleep last night.P
I just laid on the bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking.P Wondering if I was even still Drew.P Wondering why this had to happen to me.P Basically, feeling sorry for myself.P And thats when I realized that, even with
this nano-whatzit business, nothing was really any different.P Nothing had changed.P There I was, feeling sorry for myself, like
I have every day of my life, since the accident.P When I lost my leg.
But that had to be pretty tough.
Yeah, it was, but did it give me the right to be a
jerk?P And shoot my mouth off?P Drew lowered his head, ashamed.P And lie to a friend to trick her into
taking care of two thugs?P And hurt her
feelings?P Jenny I never really did
finish my apology.P I lied to you, and I
was selfish, and it was a cruddy thing to do to a pretty decent person.P I dont know why you got your mom to
help me out.
Jenny smiled, flattered that Drew had used the word person
instead of robot.P Aw, Drew
its no biggie.P I was feeling a little
sorry for myself, too.P Sometimes its
just hard to be the only robot at school, and when I heard the kids call you
Android, well, I didnt feel quite so alone.
Drew smiled back at her.P
Thats how I felt after the ball game.P
It was just nice to know that there was one other person at school who
knew what it felt like to be made of metal.
He chuckled, and rapped his fist against Jennys shoulder,
then his own, each time making a soft metallic clang.P Now more than ever.
They both smiled silently at each other, feeling not quite
so alone anymore.
And besides P He
laughed, lifted his legs both of them and wiggled his feet.P One.P
Two.P Un.P Deux.P
Uno.P Dos.
Jenny put a hand on his shoulder.P Im glad youre okay.
Drew grinned.P
Better watch that.P I havent
had dinner yet.
Jenny snatched her hand away.P Yipes! Augh, why you
Then they were both startled, by loud footsteps spilling
down the basement stairs.P Brad ran
down, with Tuck a few steps behind him, looking nervous.
Come on, Jenny, whats the hold-up? asked Brad.P Everybodys headed over to Mezmers.
Hey, Brad, she answered.P
Just had to run a quick errand for Mom.
Brad, I dont think we should be down here WHOA!P Tuck gasped at Drew.P Jennys mom built another freaky robot!!!
Jenny glanced towards Drew, and giggled.P Awww, thats what he used to call me.
Brad ignored his little brother, and looked around at the
fantastic machinery in Mrs. Wakemans basement lab.P Ni-i-i-ce setup your mom has down here, Jen.P Then he noticed Drew, still sitting on the
examination table.P Hey, Drew!P So whats the story?
Hey, Brad, said Drew.P
Is that your little brother Tuck?
You mean the small, pathetic creature clinging to my pant
leg?P Yup.
Drew waved.P Hey,
little dude.
Tuck peeked out from behind Brads leg.P Keep your distance, abomination.
And nice to meet you too.P Well, Brad, you know those frogs we cut up in biology class?
Yeah?
Im starting to feel like one of them.
From the far corner of her lab, Mrs. Wakeman made her way
back to the examination table.P Oh,
please.P I sliced off one little
finger.P Well, Im finished with
it.P Here.P She held out the sample tray with Drews severed digit.
Drew smirked at Brad and Tuck.P Watch this, guys.
Drew touched the metal fragment with his index finger, which
started to shimmer silver-green.P The
metal turned into a thick liquid, and flowed into Drews hand.
Tucks jaw nearly dropped off his face.P Whoa.P Shes feeding it!
Oh, this is simple self-repair, continued Mrs.
Wakeman.P The nano-probes are capable
of performing metamorphic activity!
Drew raised a puzzled eyebrow.P They what now?
Observe!P First, we
provide stimulation.P Mrs. Wakeman
reached into her lab coat, and pulled a metal baton with a forked tip.P She jabbed Drew in the leg, and the prongs
beeped, flashing a pale violet.
Drews body exploded outward with a schlorrrp into a
surreal spiral of thick, silver coils.P
His head disappeared, folding into his body, which stretched out into a
thin wide sheet.P The whole silver mess
collapsed to the floor, covering everybody and everything in thick strands of
silver-green taffy.
AAAAIIIIGHHH!!! screamed Tuck.P Its EATING ME!!!P His
little arms thrashed around frantically, trying to brush off the silver.
But no sooner had everyone started to pick themselves out of
the silvery mess than it retracted off of them, quickly withdrawing back
towards the table into an pear-shaped blob.P
It twisted, stretched and oozed until it regained humanoid form, then
shimmered a bit, until once again Drew was sitting on the table looking like
he had just stepped off a roller coaster.
Drew glared at Mrs. Wakeman.P GEEZ, Doc!!!P You wanna
maybe give me a little warning before you do something like that
again?!?
She simply jotted notes down on her clipboard.P Variable ductile properties.P Interesting …
Brad smoothed out his vest.P
O-kay, that was disturbing.P
Anyway, like I said, Jen, everybodys headed over to Mezmers.P Were throwing a little were-not-slaves
party, and we cant start without you.P
You saved everybody in the whole school!
Wow, a party sounds great! said Jenny.P But I couldnt have done it without
Drew.P I thought I was a Cluster zombie
for sure, until you destroyed that disgusting little wasp robot.
Yeah, said Brad, scratching his chin.P How did you do that, anyway, Drew?P I thought you were being mind-controlled or
something.
I was, explained Drew.P
It was too weird.P My head was
filled with voices, telling me what to do, and I couldnt resist them.PP But when there was a whole mess of androids
in the gym, it was like man, I dont know.P
It was like I was able to concentrate on the one single android with the
wasp and ignore the voices for a few seconds.P
I dont know how.
Well I would think the answer would be quite obvious, said
Mrs. Wakeman.P The Cluster nano-probes
were designed to infect and overtake XJ-9s electronic mind.P But when they infected you, instead of a
highly tuned precision computer, they found a random, disorganized, chaotic,
teenage brain.P The most unmanageable
thing in the known universe.
Mrs. Wakeman continued taking notes, oblivious to the nasty
stares she was getting.
Jenny broke up the silence.P
So Mom can I go to the party?P
Come on, please?
Her mother tapped a pencil to her chin.P Well, I suppose.P After all, Im probably going to be busy down here for another
five or six hours.P Just remember to
monitor your remote alarm.P She gave
Jenny a nasty look.P And leave it
turned on this time.
Sure thing, Mom, whatever.P
All right, guys, lets go!
Jenny, Brad and Tuck stomped up the stairs, heading for the
celebration downtown.
Drew turned to Mrs. Wakeman.P Five or six hours?
Hmmm? she said.P
Oh, maybe less, maybe more.P We
need to discover the properties of your artificial body, for your own
safety.P The sooner we get started, the
sooner we finish.P You cannot put a time
limit on scientific pursuit!
Drew sighed, and laid back down on the table.P All right.P
Whats next?
Mrs. Wakeman snapped a dark welders mask over her
face.P Thermal conductivity
tests!P She held up a torch, pulled the
trigger, and a five-foot long tongue of flame blasted into the air.
Drew stared, dumbstruck, as the flame lit her face with an
eerie flickering light, then groaned in resignation, rolling his eyes.
Doc, I think this could be the beginning of a dysfunctional
friendship.
THE END