My Life As A Teenage Robot Porn Story: One Good Reason Chapter 10
One Good Reason
A My Life as a
Teenage Robot Fanfic
Chapter Ten The
Burden of Responsibility
Queen Vexus eased back and settled into the pillows on her
favorite couch – the long one, made from luxurious platinum, covered with a
purple metallic silk.P A small entourage
of robot servants was fawning over her, tending to her every need.P A young robot girl bowed reverently, holding
a gold-trimmed chalice filled with fine imported lubricant; a pair of
maintenance droids worked quickly and silently, polishing and buffing her right
forearm.P Vexus enjoyed one more sip of
lubricant, then waved her hand to the imposing insectoid warriors who composed
her Royal Guard.P They responded with a
quick bow, then pulled open the giant stainless steel doors that led in from
the grand hallway.
A short, squat, and very tense-looking robot wheeled into
the receiving room, escorted by four hulking robot guards.P He was only four feet tall, and most of that
was head covered with blinking lights and antenna-spikes, pulsing chaotically
with multicolored flashes.P He rubbed
his six hands together fretfully, and awkwardly leaned forward, reluctant to
look directly at the queen with any of his six eyes.P Oh Great and Mighty Queen Vexus you sent for me?
Oh, come in, come in, my loyal subject, purred Vexus, as
she gently bounced one long, svelte leg on top of the other.P We are so very grateful that you
could make it on such short notice.
The short visitor tried to compose himself.P Um well, its not every day that I get an
invitation to the palace.P In fact, I
havent been here since well
Since your work on the nano-probe project a few months
ago.P In fact, I believe you were the
lead scientist on that project, werent you, mister oh, how do you
pronounce that name of yours again?
Ah heh-heh, its an old family name, it can only be
spoken in quantum frequencies.P He
nervously tried to conjure up a smile.P
Everybody just calls me Stanley.
Stanley, then.P
Vexus returned a pleasant, cordial smile of her own.P Stanley, how much do you recall about that
little project?
That dredged up some unpleasant memories.P W-well, Your Majesty, we used a radical new
design, giving the nanobots the ability to adapt and reproduce.P All my idea, that was.P We would infect the target robot with
nanobots, and the little dickens would spread, multiply, take control, yada
yada.P Then we would control the
nanobots, and the nanobots would control the robot.
But it didnt quite work out, did it?P You went to Earth and guaranteed me that
XJ-9 would be assimilated into the Cluster in a matter of days.P And you failed miserably.P She let Stanley squirm in discomfort for a
few seconds.P What, pray tell, became
of the nanobots?
We we programmed the nanobots with safety codes, to
guarantee that we would always have full control of them, he answered.P After we infected the wrong target, and the
mission er ended disappointingly, the safeties on the nanobots
activated, and the little devils self-destructed.P There was the flashing, and the poofing, and then nothing left
but piles and piles of gray dust.
Gray dust, she said, in an icy voice.P Then she snapped her fingers, and a large
video screen started to descend from the ceiling.P You said that you infected the wrong target?
Now Stanley was really starting to fidget.P Umm yes, we accidentally injected the
nano-probes into a well, we thought it was a primitive android, but now were
pretty sure it was a human.P But,
its all a moot point now, right?P
Because it was destroyed when
The video screen came to life with the image of a six-foot,
silver-green android.P Its shiny,
malleable body was leaping and twisting through a group of roach-drones
making them look clumsy and inept as it seamlessly turned from a bubbling
silver puddle of fluid into the form of a teenage boy.P It grew long blades from its arms and sliced
the drones in half and whenever the drones landed a blow on the android, its
body quickly healed itself.
Stanleys six eyes nearly fell out of their sockets.P Those those are my nanobots!P But thats impossible!P We lost the signal, the nanobots were
self-destructing that android shouldnt even exist!
He turned back to Vexus, and nearly keeled over in
terror.P Her genial demeanor had
vanished; now she glared at him with a look that set his metal skin on
fire.P Oh, it definitely exists, she
growled.P And not only do you not
control it, but your little nanobot-android actually fought against me
today.P I find it somewhat troubling
that one of your creations would turn on me.P
She paused to let the implications of that sink in.P It even seems to have a mind of its own now
a human mind.P And impossible
though it may seem, it rejected one of my assimilation darts.P You can imagine how that concerns me,
Stanley.P And if it concerns me, then it
should definitely concern you dont you agree?
The short robot was shaking so hard, his antennae were
knocking together.P O-o-o, yes, Your
Majesty!P Absolutely!P It concerns me a great deal!
I thought it might, she said through clenched teeth.P She glanced down at her new right hand, as
the maintenance servants put the finishing touches on her circuitry
repairs.P Then she glared back at
Stanley, her eyes narrowing into a pair of angry slits.P Thats why I knew youd be happy to hear
youve been put back in charge of the nanobot project, effective
immediately.P I am giving you one simple
order find out what went wrong with your nanobots, and find a way to regain control
over them.P I will not tolerate the
existence of a robot that can resist assimilation into the Cluster.
An uncomfortable silence hung in the air for a moment; then
she continued.P You see, as far as I am
concerned, there are only two types of robots in the universe.P Those I will control and those I will destroy.P Am I understood?
P-p-perfectly understood, Your Majesty!P Ill Ill just get back to my old research
lab and
Oh no, no I have something else in mind for you, she
grinned.P This is all very important to
the Cluster Empire, and I think its best that you work in a quiet, private
environment, free from interruptions, where youll be able to concentrate on
your research.
Oh, Your Majesty your generosity and forgiveness are
truly infinite!
Why, thank you, smiled Vexus.P Guards take him to the royal dungeon.
Drew started over at the top of the chapter, and tried once
again to read all the way through this mornings Geometry lesson.P And just like the last five times, his mind
wandered off halfway through the dry explanation of conic sections.P He simply couldnt stay focused on
schoolwork right now.P The cafeteria was
its usual raucous self, with the clattering of trays and pots, and students
excitedly gathering in their cliques to make plans and share gossip.P But the lunch hour background noise wasnt
the cause of his distraction; in fact, he was barely aware of anything around
him at the moment.P He slouched over his
textbook, his eyes staring at a spot on the far wall of the room.P A million thoughts whirled through his mind
like a cyclone, unwilling to settle down and allow themselves to be sorted out.
Hey Drew, anybody else sitting at this table?
Okay, he thought, lets try this one more
time.P When the eccentricity of the
conic is equal to one, the length of the major axis increases to infinity, and
the shape turns from an ellipse into a parabola
He almost jumped out of his seat when the cafeteria tray
slammed down in front of him.P Brad
enjoyed a laugh as he plopped down across from Drew.P Wakey wakey there, guy!P
Space Command to Drew, come in do you read, over?
Stop it, Brad, youre terrible! laughed Jenny, following
close behind.P With a soft whirr
of her motors, she set down her motor oil and sat next to Brad.P The three of them had the table to
themselves.
Sorry, guys, said Drew, I didnt even hear you walk
up.P I guess my minds just on something
else.
Pfft, I can imagine, grinned Brad.P Then his arms started weaving through the
air in swooping, snaking patterns.P
Still thinking about that wicked cool awesome battle with those Cluster
goons, right?!?P Jenny, Im telling you,
you should have seen him.P He was
surrounded by these giant metal roaches, but all these freaky swords and spikes
started flinging out of his body, and he was all like schlorp! blurp! glurp!P Bouncing and squirting all over the
place!P He sliced, he diced, he totally
kicked butt!
Geez, I wouldnt say I kicked butt.P Drew looked a bit uncomfortable.P I darn near got myself killed.P My head got blown off.P Twice.
It grew back, smiled Brad.
Yeah, well ah I didnt er, um, that is
Jenny was having a little fun watching Drew squirm, while
Brad continued excitedly.P Drew, you
saved my life this morning.P Tucks
too.P And Mrs. Wakemans!P Youre a hero. PAnd I, for one, would like to show you a
little gratitude.P Let me buy you
lunch.
Look, you dont need to do anything, Brad, he said,
rolling his eyes.
Ill go back in the kitchen and see if I can find you a
nice iron frying pan.P You like iron,
right?
Brad, calm down.P
Im not hungry.P I had robot for
breakfast, remember?
Oh yeah, he grinned.P
Jenny, it was so freaky cool.P
He turned into this big shiny blob and started absorbing Cluster robots
like in The Blob That Ate Cleveland.P
They were dissolving into this big puddle of silver goop and screaming
and waving their arms
Ugh, what a way to go!P
Jenny laughed, recoiling in mock fear.P
Youre sure youre not hungry, right?
Arrrrghhh!P
Guys!P Drew buried his face into
his hands.
Suddenly Brad hopped out of his seat, pointing to another
noisy group of students three tables over.P
Check it out, somebody brought in a little portable TV.P I think theyve got it turned to the
news!P Its probably a video of you,
Drew there were only, like, a dozen television cameras on the front yard this
morning.P Jen, come on, youve gotta see
this.
Go ahead, Brad.P
Ill see it later tonight.P And
with that, Brad bolted from the table, joining a group of twenty or so students
who were leaning over each others shoulders, watching a small, flat screen
about the size of a textbook.P Drew
actually seemed to be a bit relieved after he left.
The two robots sat silently for a few moments; Drew tried to
re-concentrate on geometry, and Jenny enjoyed her mid-day drink of oil.P Shed already thanked him for saving her
mother, after the emotion of the reunion at the house had died down.P But with all the policemen and firemen and
media people that had shown up after that, they hadnt even gotten a chance to
talk.P Theyd all missed their first
period Geometry class; so it was the first time shed seen him since this
morning.P And she could tell from the
look on his face that something heavy was weighing on his mind.
Brad will probably go on like that for the rest of the
day, she smiled.P I speak from
experience.
Drew chuckled, then closed his textbook with a heavy
sigh.P Well, theres no sense in me
trying to get through this chapter right now.P
My head is a million miles away.P
Besides, Ill have plenty of time to read it after school.P Snitzenburg gave me detention for missing
Geometry.
That stinks, she frowned.P
I was going to get detention too, but Vice Principal Raszinski actually
came to my rescue.P Look at what got
couriered to his office this morning!P
Jenny rummaged briefly in her backpack, and pulled out a one-page
note.P It was printed on heavy stock,
with an impressive-looking letterhead that read Office of the Prime Minister,
Sydney, Australia.
He carefully held the note by the edges and read it
aloud.P Please excuse Miss XJ-9 from
first period this morning, as she was busy saving Australia from an alien robot
invasion.P Hey, thats pretty sharp!P Not too many kids get written excuses from
world leaders.
It was very nice of him.P
Hes probably a really busy man, she grinned.P So is that whats got you feeling so upset?P That you got stuck with detention?
Huh?P What makes you
think Im upset?
Jenny cocked her head as if to say, Come on.P Well, if Brad had defeated forty
Cluster robots in combat, hed probably be dancing on the tables by now.P But youre just sitting over here all by
yourself, staring off into space.P So
whats wrong?
I didnt realize I was that easy to read.P A few seconds of silence elapsed, until Drew
realized that Jenny was going to wait until she got an answer.P Its not that theres anything wrong, its
just
He looked her in the eyes, and went on.P This morning, I grew a pair of ten-foot
swords out of my arms.P I grew spikes
out of my back, I used a pair of Cluster drones like hand puppets.P I ripped the engine block out of a truck,
and I engaged in combat against the all-powerful leader of an evil robot
empire.P But in my mind, Im
still just a high school student thats trying to keep a C average.
He leaned closer.P
Jenny, how in the world do you do this?P I mean, youre a high schooler just like me,
but you can bench-press a train engine, or shoot up an alien starship, or stop
a tidal wave, or fly around the world in five minutes.P Doesnt any of that ever just floor
you?P I mean, you always seem so bored
by this saving-the-world stuff.
She wasnt sure what to say.P Well I guess Im kind of used to it by now.P After all, its what Im programmed
for.P Ive had pretty amazing powers
ever since my mom first assembled me.
I wish I was as calm and sure about all of this as you
are, he said.P I dont know why this
whole android business had to happen to me sometimes I just wish that I was
still a boring normal teenager.P I know,
I know I sound like a whiny baby pounding on his highchair.
No no, you dont.P
Now Jenny took a deep sigh, and leaned forward herself.P Drew Ive got to tell you the truth.P Sometimes I do get freaked out by all of my
robot powers and all of the responsibilities that come with them.P I just wish I could turn off all the rockets
and lasers and spend a day vegging at the mall without worrying that
an alarm is going to go off at any second.P
She closed her eyes, and lowered her head.P Thats sort of what Mom and I um talked about this
morning.
You mean the big fight?P
He chuckled at the surprise on her face.P Brad and I could kind of tell that you and the doc had a big
fight this morning.P I figured it
probably had something to do with you being so busy lately.P That, and those protester jerks in front of
your house this morning.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot about them, she smirked.P Every day I fly around the world to
somewhere, and get shot at, or beaten up, or get a truck thrown at me.P And there are always lots of people like
those protestors, calling me names and saying horrible things to me.
Drew saw the pain on her face.P Jen, thats just so wrong.P
Its not fair.
No, its probably not, she said, her face warming into a
big smile.P In fact, I seem to remember
saying that very same thing this morning.P
But you know what?P Even with all
of the aggravation it still feels really great to actually save somebody.P To be the robot girl who saves the day.P To know that you made a difference, that you
made the world a little bit safer.P Even
just to hear somebody say thank you.
She placed a reassuring metal hand on his silvery
shoulder.P How did you feel this
morning, after Vexus ran off and you realized that youd defeated her drones?
Sick to my stomach, he chuckled.P Then he grew a little more serious.P Then once I realized that I was still alive, I felt I felt
pretty amazing.P I think it was the
proudest moment of my life.P And then I
got a little scared.P Because I realized
something else, too.
He looked very uncomfortable, and a look of shame came over
his face.P Jenny, I came really close
to chickening out and giving up to thinking I had no business fighting, that
it wasnt my responsibility.P And once
the fight was over, and I had actually saved your mom, I couldnt help but
think how bad would it feel, to know that you could have saved someone, but
had chosen to do nothing at all?
He took a deep breath.P
Thats why I need to ask you a favor.P
Man, this is going to sound so stupid.
Oh, come on! she laughed.P
Go ahead, Drew, you can ask me anything.
I want you to teach me how to fight.P Jenny, I want to help.P I mean, Im not you, and I could never save
people like you can.P I dont have the
strength of a million and seventy men.P
I cant even fly.P If aliens
attacked Washington or something, what would I do buy a bus ticket?P But theres something about these nanobots
that seems to be important.P This sounds
crazy, but I think they could help fight against the Cluster.P That Vexus witch is sure spooked by
them.P And I dont think she spooks
easy.
He rolled his eyes.P
And Im on her list now.P
I suppose I shouldnt be surprised my body practically has Made in
Cluster stamped on it.P I shouldve
figured that they would find out about me eventually.P Theyll keep coming after me, just like they keep coming after
you.P Right?
Right, Jenny answered simply.P Vexus was a constant fear that she kept tucked away in her
electronic mind, to deal with all by herself.P
But now Drew had the same problem.P
And hed decided that they were in this together.P Drew, I dont think that sounds stupid at
all.P I think it sounds fantastic!P Ive always wished that I had someone to
help out now and then.P Of course Ill
teach you.P But this is pretty serious
stuff.P Are you sure you want to do
this?
No, he chortled.P
I can think of a million reasons not to do this.P But ignoring the Cluster isnt going to make
them go away.P Jen, I cant even think
about fighting to save the whole planet like you do.P Its just too much it scares the heck out of me.P But then I think about my family, and my
friends.P Keeping them safe is a
good reason to do this.P And I figure
maybe one good reason is reason enough.
They shook hands, and exchanged silent, knowing smiles.P The only two robotic students in school had
just added a new layer of understanding and meaning to their friendship.
You still must be a little upset though, she said.P You actually battle and defeat the Cluster,
and all you have to show for it is after-school detention.
Now that you mention it, he laughed, that does pretty
much suck
Ewghh, watch out, Jenny! shouted a female
voice.P That thing eats tin cans
like you for breakfast.P Literally.P We just watched the whole freaky monster
movie routine on the news.
It was only a matter of time.P Neither Drew nor Jenny could go for long in a cafeteria full of
students without receiving some kind of insult, and this time it was coming
from three beautiful girls on the school volleyball team.P They had just watched the news video with
the group of kids around the portable TV, and were finishing off their water
bottles before heading off to practice.P
Want me to save my empty for you, trash eater? laughed the short
brunette.P Doctors say that a growing
slime mold needs its daily recommended dose of plastic.P She waved her bottle in Drews face.
Drew just leaned back in his chair with a tired groan.P No thank you, Linda.P But thanks for caring.
Jenny shot a nasty glance at the girls.P Why dont you just knock it off!P We werent bothering you!
Just looking at you is bothering me, canhead.P The brunette gave both robots a disgusted
sneer.P Man, I hope the school has
reached its metal freak quota for the semester.P Come on girls, lets get out of here.P The popular athletes turned to head off for the gym
But the tall redhead stayed behind.P Um you guys go on and get warmed up.P Ill catch up in a minute Ive got to do
something first.
She waited until the doors had swung closed, and her friends
were out of sight.P She nervously
glanced around her, making sure that nobody she knew was watching her.P Then, with a quick motion, she slipped into
the seat next to Drew, much to his surprise.
Look, I still think youre a disgusting weirdo, she
blurted rapidly.P But her tone softened,
and she seemed to struggle with her voice.P
My dad is a TV cameraman for Channel Four news he was one of the
prisoners that you rescued this morning.P
He called to tell me he was okay, and he told me how you saved them
all.P And thats thats pretty
cool.P So thank you.P Thanks for saving my dads life.
Then she did the last thing in the world Drew would have
expected she leaned over and wrapped her arms around his silver shoulders,
giving him a grateful, sincere hug and planted her soft, pink lips on his
metallic cheek with a quick kiss.P Then
just as quickly, she rocketed towards the exit, heading off to practice but
not before quickly looking back, and flashing him a smile.
Drew didnt twitch so much as a finger.P He sat ramrod-straight, with eyes the size
of dinner plates, and a big dumb grin on his face.P He finally snapped from his trance when Jenny started rocking
back and forth in her seat, giggling mercilessly.
Wha-what?P What is it?
he babbled.
Your face, she squealed, wiping tears from her eyes.P Your whole face is bright green!P Oh gasp I gasp guess
Ive never seen you blush before.P Then
she broke out into huge belly laughs.
Drew blushed even more furiously, and couldnt help but
laugh along.P You know, Jenny, you were
right it is kind of neat when somebody says thank you.
THE END