GIANT FIGHTING ROBOT CAR PART II

The group gets a ominous message, and tricks out their death machine.

III. FLEANA

Just as I thought the day was over, that I would just go home, slap on a few bandages, have supper, and then go to bed, something had to remind me that the was day was not yet done.

We found Nathan sprawled on the ground covered in oil and mud. Apparently, he thought it was the perfect time to take a nap. He seemed quite comfortable snoozing around the wreckage of three large, chopped up robots.

“Hey, yo bro.” Prince jabbed him in the shoulder.

“Hm.” He muttered.

“What are doing here?”

“Fightin’ robots. Napping.”

“So, uh, you did this?”

Nathan let a huge snore.

“Wait. Why would Eco-corp be stalking around here?”

“Don’t know. Doesn’t matter now.”

Nathan turned on his side, and the sight nearly made me pass out. A huge stain had expanded on his shirt where his kidney should be.

“Oh, God Nathan you got shot!” I screamed.

He cracked open an eye and looked at his wound before closing it again. “Thought I was losing blood. Guess one nicked me. I remember one getting away before I could finish him. His buddies weren’t helpful.”

“Well, don’t just sleep there. You could get infected. You need medical attention quick”

He pulled the bottom of his shirt to reveal that the wound had mostly healed up. When some people get shot, they anything from blood transfusions to thick gauzes. I guess for people like Nathan, a good nap is all you need.

“I’m tired,” He snoozed. “So I’m just gonna lie here for a bit. Oh, yeah, and some guy came by and wanted me to give you this.”

He tossed Prince a little blue orb.

“Hmm…the last time we got one of these, some killer cyborg janitor tried to kidnap and kill us.”

Nathan continued snoring.

Prince rolled his eyes and twist the top of the sphere. The sphere projected the image of a man in a gray suit. I recognize him as one of Eco-corp’s board members. He tapped something in his pipe and began blowing bubbles with it.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all again.” He began. “I didn’t get much of a chance to talk about your abilities before the whole fire thing happened.” He spoke of it as if was no big deal. “Not that you’ll have them for very long. You have my sympathies.” He continued blowing bubbles. “Listen, I hope you don’t think ill of me or my wife for that matter. We’ve been so focused on finding a cure for her nerve disorder that we sort of neglected your comfort level. I’m well aware that the means the executiv�"that is to say your grandparents used was…unethical and it has been weighing on my conscience ever since. I want to make it right. However, Drift’s temper has gotten inflamed. By now you must’ve seen her inventions. I won’t have a say in what Ecosystem Corporation plans to do with you now that you don’t serve a purpose, only that it won’t be pleasant. Realize that you have committed both arson and assault. That won’t be ignored. We have policies on protecting the welfare of our employees and others. In a year, that will become enforced. But should the withdrawal symptoms app--”

The image froze. I noticed a little crack on the orb. We won’t get to hear what he had to say.

“Dude, did you do that?” Marion pointed at the crack.

“Nuh-uh.” Prince quipped. “It was like that. From the looks of it, that man was looking to give us this without mailing it, presumably because his mail goes through Eco-corp or they at least monitor them so I guess he found Nathan patrolling the junkyard and recognizing him, ran up to gave it to him and bailing before the giant robots showed up.”

Katrina took the orb and raised an eyebrow. “Well, that’s one theory. What do you think he means about withdrawal symptoms? Don’t he know we don’t smoke?”

“I don’t like the sound of that.” I muttered. I traced my fingers over the orb and a wave of emotions came crashing into my mind: pity, fear, worry. All the emotions the sender had before he left it in Nathan’s hands. “Whoa. Well, it seems genuine enough.”

“And you know this how?”

“I can’t really explain it, but it’s like I can sense residual energy on this orb, like someone left pieces of their emotions on here.”

Prince perked up. “Psychometry?”

“I guess.” I tucked the orb into my dress pocket. “So what now?”

Prince eyed the sliced up machine. “Those things have lasers. And some high quality missiles and stuff.”

“Yeah, so?”

“Wanna, say, upgrade our robot?”

“Awesome.” I smiled.

IV. KATRINA

“By Jove, I think we’ve done it.” I wiped the sweat off my forehead.

It took weeks but we finally managed to upgrade our friggin’ death machine. After changing and buffing its new skin, it gleamed in the sun light. Cannons protruded from its wrist, and since Prince won the coin toss, he got to paint the bot arctic blue instead of burnt red like Marion wanted. But we all managed to add a little taste of our colors in the mix. Marion painted the car on top burnt red, which in my opinion looked better than powdered blue. Fleana tattooed a rose on it’s left arm and I crafted a yellow lightning bolt on its right, replacing the faded white one. When we had finished, it was ready for a car show.

“Yep.” Prince tried to wipe his forehead, but he only managed to smear grease across it. “I just wish Backpack didn’t accidentally made me spill oil all over myself when giving me those directions.”

The little robot looked a little embarrassed.

“Eh, I can never stay mad at you.”

I guess there’s nothing sweeter than a boy and his…somewhat sentient, robotic backpack thing. Seriously, what the Styx is he doing with his life?

“Well, it’s definitely tricked out.” Fleana smiled.

“It’s good to do something productive with your day.” Marion quipped. “Say Spikes? Do you have an idea how to hide this from the townspeople?”

“On it.” Prince pressed a button on an old refrigerator.

The huge mecha sank slowly beneath the ground until only the newly painted red car was visible, which despite the paint job still looked like any old junk car.

“Well, that’s that.” I dusted my hands. “I’m gonna go home now. It’s pasta night.”

When I opened the door, I found my mother on the couch replaying that orb again and again. She’s been obsessed with that thing ever since I showed it to her.

“It’s not gonna play any further.” I told her.

“Goro.” Mom said in an uncharacteristic tone.

“Huh?”

“This man. His name is Goro Charge.”

“That’s a weird name.”

Mom stared at the image.

“Is there something wrong?”

“Goro is the leader of Solarana’s second division branch. He has since merged with Ecosystem Corporation’s third division.”

“So…”

“He funded the AIVF project. If it wasn’t for him, you would never have been born.”

I felt my jaw touch my chest. “So…Is he a--”

“I don’t know if he is dear, but…” Mom’s sharp eyes bore a hole in my chest. “These withdrawal symptoms he is talking about. They worry me.”

Author's Note

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