Disclaimer: MST3K belongs to Best Brains Inc. I don't make a cent off of this.
Of Devils and Angels
By: NightCat
Chapter 5: Thoughts Over Pizza
�Quite the story, Nelson,� Clayton remarked.
Mike shrugged and picked up his second slice of pizza. He had just gone through the events following the last time they saw Clayton, before he was turned into a Starchild. �Depends if you choose to believe it or not,� he said between bites.
�Oh I believe you,� the former mad scientist reassured him. �I�ve seen and experienced too many strange things not to. It also explains where the second Mother came from.�
�I�ll admit,� Joel said. �It seems a little out there, but considering what we�ve been though, I�m giving it a benefit of a doubt.�
�You don�t believe us Joel?� Tom asked, finally looking up from his own slice of pizza. He sounded slightly hurt.
�I didn�t mean it like that,� his creator said, patting Tom lightly on the dome. �I�m just saying that until I see some solid proof I�ll assume that what Mike has said is true. When I see the proof, I�ll stop assuming and start believing.�
�Fair enough,� Mike said, wiping his fingers on a napkin.
Clayton sighed and helped himself to the last piece. The odd group of humans and robots were sitting around a table in Joel�s small dining room. Or at least, that was what the room was supposed to be. Considering Joel didn�t have many opportunities to hold proper dinners the room had been used as a makeshift storage room for various boxes of abandoned inventions and supplies. When Mike asked why, Joel had just shrugged and said, �What good is a dining room if you�re never going to use it?�
Joel, with the help of Mike and Clayton, had cleared away the table and most of the floor to make room for the group and their supper. At the moment much of Joel�s junk was roughly crammed into a corner of the room, somewhat neatly out of the way.
Joel had made a mental note to himself to invest in a shed.
Also, Mike managed to get a change of clothes. Joel had loaned him some jeans and a shirt. Mike was more than happy to finally be rid of his old and dirty jumpsuit. While the rest were waiting for the pizza, he had also taken a much needed shower and tended to some bumps and scratches from the crash, including the one on the back of his head with some difficulty. Feeling clean and in proper clothing, Mike felt much better than he had in the last twenty-four hours.
�There�s still one thing I�m wondering Nelson,� Clayton said. �Crow said earlier that you know what happened to me. So obviously, my question is what happened?�
Mike gulped. This was the only part that he had strategically left out. As much as he resented Clayton for imprisoning him, Mike couldn�t bring himself to tell him his fate. �Well, you see Clay� um��
Clayton rolled his eyes. �Geez Nelson. With the way you�re dancing around the subject I would almost think that I was going to die.�
Mike bit his lip.
�Hey,� Crow said before Mike could stop him. �He got it in one!�
�Crow!� Mike snapped.
A stunned silence lingered among the group. Joel and Clayton looked stunned while Mike just hung his head. Well, he thought glumly, at least I don�t have to be the one to break the news now.
Clayton cleared his throat. �So�� he seemed at lost for words for a few seconds. �So, how did it happen?�
�Well,� Mike started, rubbing the back of his neck unconsciously. He always did that when feeling uncomfortable. �The thing is Clay, you were kind of, um, murdered.�
Clayton shrugged. �I thought as much,� he muttered. �God knows I�ve made enough enemies over the years. Which one was it?�
Mike gulped and decided to bite the bullet. �It was Pearl.�
�WHAT?!� Clayton leaped up from his chair, startling everyone. The plate he was using seemed to fly across the room on its own, almost hitting Gypsy. Luckily she ducked just in time and the plate shattered on the wall behind her.
�What was that?!� she said, sounding very shocked.
�Starchild powers,� Clayton said, still glaring at Mike. �I lost control for a second, sorry Gypsy. Now,� he pointed at Mike, �as for you, why didn�t you tell me earlier?�
�Hey, you try telling someone that their own mother is going to kill them,� he said defensively.
�I would think that they had a right to know!� Clayton shot back. �I do value my life Nelson, despite what you may think.�
Mike almost lost it there. �Obviously not others,� he countered.
�What do you mean by that?�
�How about detaching the SOL, knowing that we would probably get sucked into a black hole and die? You didn�t seem too concerned by this at the time.�
�At the time,� Clayton repeated. �Things were different back then. Things change Mike.�
Mike rolled his eyes. �Yeah, back then you didn�t need our help. We were no longer of any use so you were willing to let us die and felt no remorse for it. Do you really think that I�ve forgotten Clay?�
�Then you should also remember,� Clayton was almost shouting now. �That if it wasn�t for me you and your little tin cans there would have been blown to smithereens!�
�Then why did you help us?� Mike shouted back. �Why not just let us die? You were more than willing to do that before.�
Clayton lowered his voice, though his anger made his words shake a little. �Because I thought that Joel would bring you guys back with him and a weight would be off of my shoulders. If I had never started that experiment then I would have never became a Starchild, or had to lower myself to depend on Mother again, and I would still have had a life. I thought that, by getting you and the �bots back to Earth, at least something would be right again, and I could turn to you guys for help in getting my own life back on track.�
Some of Mike�s anger went away, but only some. With a lowed voice as well, he asked, �Why us?�
Clayton shrugged. �Who else would have believed me?�
With a sigh, Clayton added, �Like I said Nelson, things change. If I really were still evil, would have I brought you and the �bots to Joel? Hell, would have I saved your life?�
Mike glared at him again, but said nothing. Instead he walked past him and out of the room. The sound of the opening and closing of a door told the group left at the table that he had gone outside.
Tom was the first to break the uncomfortable silence. �Well, that was tense.�
�Thank you, Captain Obvious,� Crow muttered.
Sighing, Joel rose from the table. Throughout Mike and Clayton�s fight he had watched in stunned silence, not daring to interfere. �I�ll go check on Mike,� he said as he walked out.
Clayton sat back down and, needing something to calm him down, lit his last cigarette.
The �bots, probably sensing that he wanted to be alone, made their way into the living room to watch some TV.
***
Joel found Mike sitting on the doorstep staring at the night sky. He seemed to be lost in thought and didn�t even notice Joel sitting down beside him.
�Hey,� Joel said, nudging him. �You alright?�
Mike shrugged. �I just need to think. I didn�t mean to explode like that; I have no idea where that came from��
Joel gave him a pat on the back. �Hey, it happens.�
The other man shook his head. �I just don�t know if I can trust him.� He hesitated for a second before continuing. �I don�t know if I want to trust him.�
�Give it time,� Joel said. �We�ll find out sooner or later if we can.�
Mike looked at him. �What do you think?�
Joel sighed. �In all honesty, right now I�m leaning toward trusting him. If we can�t, then he must be desperate if he�s asking his former captors for help.�
Mike chuckled slightly at that. �True, I guess.�
The former janitor and temp worker sat in silence for a few minutes, lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Joel snapped out of it and nudged Mike again.
�Come on,� he said, standing up. �We should keep an eye on the �bots. Knowing them, Clay wouldn�t stand a chance if they decided to pull something.�
Mike laughed as he stood up as well. �Just be glad you weren�t in the car on the drive here. I thought they were going to make his head explode.�
The two men�s laughter was cut short by a sharp pain on their necks. The last thing either of them remembered was the ground coming at them at an unusually fast pace.
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