"Babe,
wait!" Dana shouted. She wanted so much for him to stay with her;
she loved him so much... Jesse was
looking at her awkwardly. "Babe?
Who the heck is Babe?"
He glanced skyward. "Wait.
You mean--His name isn't Cleave?
But I thought that--" Dana shushed him with a motion. "Yes,
his name is Babe. He didn't tell me
before because he thought I would laugh at him... I wish he would stay." There was an awkward moment of silence until
Jimmy broke in. "Mom, why did Babe leave again?
I thought he would stay if I went to find him..." Dana hugged Jimmy. "I'm
glad you tried, Jimmy. I really am, but
he--he wasn't meant to be with us. He's
a robot, and no one trusts robots anymore." This time
Jesse outright laughed. "Are you sure you're alright,
Dana? No one has ever trusted
robots!" Dana scowled at him
and said two words. "The Protector."
"The Protector?! That's just
a legend! Besides, no one ever found out
who he really was!" Dana walked
toward Jesse until their faces were only inches apart. "He
disappeared at the same time robots started to appear, if I remember my
history. Haven't you wondered why? That was him, Jesse! Babe Cleave was the Protector!" Dana had worked herself up so much that she
couldn't stop yelling. "How dare you call him an ordinary
robot! He's probably more 'alive' than
any of us!!!" She took a minute
to calm herself down. "None of us were able to see that. We took him at face value, hated him just
because he was what he was. The only
sensible people in the entire village were the children... They became his only friends... I wonder what it felt like, living all those
years alone, with no one to talk to except yourself. That dragon has probably been in so much
pain... Now that I think about it, it
makes sense why he ran off the first time.
He was afraid..." Jimmy
pulled on Dana's shirt. "Mom, can we go look for Cleave? Please?
I don't want him to be mad at us..." "Oh, Jimmy... he wasn't mad, just scared. He's better off by himself. It's what he's used to... let him go." "But he's my best friend! I gave him a heart... he can't go yet..."
"No. I can't go back. I can't let myself make friends. I can't!
I CAN'T!!!!!" Babe was
fighting with himself. One side of him
wanted desperately to stay with them, but the other knew better. The other half knew what would happen if he
made friends. No matter how much he
argued with himself, no matter how much he tried to deny it, he wanted to go
back. He couldn't help it. "I
need to... They are the first friends
I've had in so long... Dana... NO!! I
can't go back! I won't! But Jimmy likes me... he wants to be my friend... he doesn't care what I look--NOOOO!!!!!!!!! No no no no no!!!!!!!" Babe landed to give himself more time to
think. Sensors detect multiple life froms in the area. Situation:
hostile. Activating arm cannon. Babe looked behind himself to see what had
made his sensors do that. "I can't go back..." Robots numbering somewhere in the hundreds
were marching toawrd him. Babe backed up
a bit. He knew this area well. There wouldn't be a village anywhere near
this place for miles. They were truly
coming for him! Recomended action: retreat. Babe felt his wings activate. He jumped into the sky and flew off. When he looked behind him again, he saw the
entire force taking off after him.
Jesse heard it before he saw it. It sounded like thunder booming off in the
distance.
"Dana, get in the tank."
They had walked back to the tank, and just in time too. Jesse could see them now. "Dana,
hurry! We don't have much time!" He jumped in after both Dana and Jimmy had
gone in, and went straight for the tank's cannon. Jesse pointed it skyward and aimed it at the
mass of metal that was fast approaching them.
Through the scope he could see Babe at the front, shooting behind him
often, trying to slow the overwhelming group of robots down. "I
think--I think Babe's being chased by robots!
He looked ready to drop from the sky...
Dana, do you know how to fix a tank engine?" "Well, I know a little, but
I'm--" Good. Get under the tank and start trying. I'm going to shoot the tank's cannon right in
the center of that mass and see if they come after us instead." He looked away from the scope to see Dana staring
at him. "Are you mad?!! We can't
have all of those robots on us! We'll be
killed for sure!" "Not if you
get the tank's engine fixed in time. I
have an idea, but we need to be able to move!"
Warning! Energy levels at 45%! Refuel immediately! Babe shot his cannon again. Energy
levels at 41%! Another shot. Energy
levels at 36%! Babe could feel the
rockets on his wings and feet start to give out. He had no choice but to land again if he was
going to keep shooting like this!
Suddenly, there was a huge explosion behind him. He watched about twenty robots fall from the
sky. Another shot rang out from below,
taking down almost thirty. Babe scanned
the ground. Sensors detect three identifiable life forms below. Babe's eyes widened. "I
led them back to Dana and Jimmy!"
He turned and fired another shot.
"I can't let them get
hurt!" Warning! Energy levels at 32%! Landing imminent!" Babe's wing jets stopped altogether. He barely straightened himself out before
hitting the ground. Babe skidded along
the ground, unable to stop himself from bouncing along. When he finally stopped moving, he saw the
entire remaining hoard aim their weapons at him. "This
is it, then. I'm going to finally
die..." He could feel his
system shutting down to preserve what remaining energy he had left. He couldn't move, couldn't aim; he couldn't
do anything except watch his death come toward him.
"C'mon... c'mon..." Jesse slammed his fist on the wall of the
tank. "Start already!"
He turned the cannon and lowered it to get a better shot, then
fired. His aim was getting better. This time he'd gotten closer to fifty. Babe was still just lying on the ground. "We
can't keep this up much longer!
Dana! Is it ready yet?!" There was a muffled voice outside. "Let
me get in first, then try it!"
The hatch opened, Dana fell in, and Jesse turned the engine on. It sounded better than it had in months! Jesse wiped a bit of sweat from his
forehead. "Ready?" Dana
didn't answer. Instead she pushed the
gears forward and started the tank moving herself! Jesse barely turned the thing around in
time. "Here we go!!" He
shot throught the crowd of robots, wincing at every sound the robots made when
they hit the tank. "If this doesn't get them, nothing will."
Babe watched in amazement as the robots started
flying aside. He dimly noticed the tank
speeding through them. A bit of his
energy remained; he wouldn't shut down until he reached twenty percent, so he
tried to sit up and watch the tank shoot by.
The robots that hadn't been hit by the tank instantly started following
it, taking them away from Babe. Energy levels at 24% Beginning deactivation. Babe stayed sitting for as long as he
could. 23% Engaging shut down sequence. His vision began to darken, things around him
became indistinct. 22% Conserving remaining energy. Babe felt himself fall back to the
ground. 21% Shutting down all remaining
sensors. 20% Deactivation complete.
----
"Well, now
what, genious?!" Dana shouted
above the roar of the tank. Jesse didn't
look away from the window as he answered.
"Working on it! Dana, there's a spare comm. unit in the
storage compartment. Get it out so I can
call HQ!" Dana rumaged around a
bit. When she found it, she handed it to
Jesse and took the controls. Jesse
turned to comm. unit on and shouted into it.
"HQ! This is Jesse! Begin operation canyon strike
imediately! I am being purused by a
battalion of robots!" There was
a bit of static while they waited for an answer. "Roger,
Jesse. Proceed to phase line Omega. We are on standby. Over and out." Dana let Jesse take back the controls. She moved to the back of the cabin and sat
down by Jimmy. He was shaking with fear,
or was it excitement? Dana couldn't
tell.
"See?! I told you he'd get us all into trouble! He's going to lead the entire robot army to
our Headquarters!" Steve
couldn't help but smile; he'd been right!
"We have to do something now
Max. He's forced us into it." Max sighed.
"Indeed he has. We will question him when he returns. Until then, head to phase line Omega, and see
just what he has chasing him. We don't
have time for any more problems..."
Steve went to gather the necessary troops, claiming himself to be the
leader of that mission. No one believed
him since he was merely another soldier, and he argued with them--until the
real leader showed up. Max stared Steve
down and took the troops up to canyon point.
Steve made sure he was in the group.
Though his system had shut down, Babe could still
hear things. Somewhere in front of him,
something moved. "They didn't hit some of the robots hard enough!" He thought.
"I need to tell them
somehow! But how?! I've shut down! The only way I could do anything else is if I
have sugar!" Babe heard
footsteps aproach him. Something metal
hit him and shoved him to one side. "They think I'm dead now. I'm not functioning enough for them to notice
me!" Time passed, and soon he
could not hear footsteps anymore. "I need to get up! There has to be a way to keep moving! I still have twenty percent left! Why can't I use it?!" He tried to move. Anything, even a finger, but nothing
happened. "I need to move! Why won't
this body move?!!!"
"Mom, what
about Cleave? Can we go back and get
him?" Jimmy pleaded. Dana looked down at him. "Later
Jimmy. We have to make sure that the
robots following us get destroyed."
"But Cleave needs our help!
He can't move, remember? He used
up his power shooting at the robots! We
have to help him!!!" No,
Jimmy. Not until these other robots are
taken care of. I promise we'll go look
for him after we get away, but we need to get away first! Be patient.
I don't want to leave him either." Jimmy frowned and folded his arms. They should have brought Cleave with
them! Now he'll be lost out there and
alone again! "Mom, we need to go back now!!!!!" Jimmy opened the hatch and jumped out. He heard his mom's voice shout his name, and
even saw her start to get out after him, but Jesse pulled her back in. Jimmy was on his own. He started walking, but something grabbed him
and held him by the back of his shirt.
He dangled in the air for a moment as his shirt slowly turned him toward
his captor. He'd never been closer to a
robot before in his life, and he wasn't about to count Cleave as a robot. The robot that held him had a face he thought
he recognized... "Dad!!!" It was a
griffin with gray feathers. Its eyes
glowed the same hue of blue as his father's had. Aside from the face, Jimmy didn't think he
would have recognized him. "Dad, stop! It's me, Jimmy! Dad!" His father walked away from the group of
robots while still holding him in his hand.
Jimmy started crying.
Babe listened carefully. He found that if he listened hard enough, he
could still hear the rumble of the tank's engine. "Dad,
stop! It's me, Jimmy! Dad!" Babe wondered what he was hearing. "It
shouldn't be possible to hear Jimmy's voice.
He's inside the tank! Besides, he
should be at least a mile away by now, right?" Then, ever so faintly, Babe heard Jimmy
crying. "Jimmy? Jimmy, what's
wrong?" He tried to move again,
but still nothing happened. "Damn!
I need more sugar! Why did I shut
down when I had twenty percent left?"
He slowly started remembering something he had been told long ago.
"Remember,
Babe. If something ever happens where
you need to use your back-up power, but you're already using it, your body will
shut down at twenty percent. If you want
to use up that twenty percent, say the code:
626D-day, and you will be back online until your power runs completely
out. Whatever you do, don't let your
power reach zero. You will perminantly
shut down if it does." Bill had
said. Babe hadn't taken him seriously at
the time, after all, he never went below fifty percent. There had been nothing to worry about.
"Great. Just great.
I know how I could save my closest friend, but I can't move my lips or
utter the sounds neccessary to say it!
What do I do now?!!"
Babe wanted to hit something. He
calmed himself down again so he could hear what was happening, and inwardly
cringed at the sound of metal footsteps.
They were coming back to get him.
----
"What?--What
is this?!" Jesse demanded. "Max,
what's going on?! Let us go! Dana's son is still out there!" Max looked up at them. "I'm
sorry, but we can't allow that, Jesse."
"WHAT?!" "You
practically led the robots here, Jesse.
Some of us aren't sure you're on our side anymore." Jesse couldn't believe what he was
hearing. "Max, you KNOW I have never put anything above protecting this place! I would NEVER side with the
robots!" "Then how do you wish
to explain helping hers?" Max
nodded at Dana. "Steve has told us of how you offered to help a robot. Such behavior is treason against all our
kind, no matter what the reason. You
know that as well as anyone else."
"But you don't understand!
That robot is different! He's
still himself, like the rest of us!"
"I'm sorry, Jesse. You know
the punishment for treason of any kind." Jesse watched as Max motioned to the
guards. "Take them to the cells. We
will deal with them in the morning."
Dana tried to break free of the guards grasp, but
their grips were stronger than anyone's she had encountered before. She eventually gave up and let herself be
drug along. Her thoughts were a mess. "This
can't be happening! Jimmy still needs
me! What will happen now that we've been
accused of being traitors? What about
Babe?.. Jimmy's in trouble! There's no one out there to help him, not
even the Protector! Help me..." She grunted as she hit the floor. She hadn't realized they had already gotten
to the prison. The door slammed shut
behind her. Angry, she got up and
pounded on it until she had no energy left.
"That won't do you any good,
Dana. A tank blast at point blank rang
barely dents that door." She
twirled around to see Jesse in the cell with her. "We
can't get out, Dana. Face it. Tomorrow we die..." Jesse was huddled in a corner, crying. She walked over to him. "Jesse?" "What?!" "Jesse, I just wanted to say thank
you." Jesse looked up at her
like she'd grown a second head. "For what?! Getting you and your son killed?! Wow, I'm a really great guy!" Dana sat down beside him. "No,
I'm serious. Thank you. I have never done something so exciting in
all my life... even Jimmy had fun while
you were around!" "You're just
saying that!" Jesse sneered at
her. "You
think I'm a wimp! You pity
me!!!" "No! No, it's nothing like that." Dana gently laid a hand on his shoulder. "I'm
being honest, Jesse. I really
am..." Jesse looked up at her
and saw the truth in her eyes. "But what about--" She put a finger on his mouth to make him
stop speaking. Dana leaned closer to
him, thinking of how Babe had reacted when she'd done this to him. The small kiss she gave him brought about a
passion she had never felt, not even when she'd concieved Jimmy. She reluctantly let go. "Jesse?" She asked, her voice shaking. "Did
you feel that?" His answer was
just as confused. "I--I don't know. What
happened?" Dana kissed him
again. That same feeling rose back,
bringing blood to her cheeks as it came.
The kiss, as well as the feeling, lasted a lot longer the second
time. Dana looked around. "This
CAN'T be the most romantic spot, so
there's either something terribly wrong with us, or I..." She lost herself as Jesse kissed her
again. This time, on the lips. Dana felt Jesse slide his hands along her
body. She returned the gesture with as
much enthusiasm as she could. Without
warning, her pants fell from her body, and she felt her hands slowly undoing
all of the fastenings on Jesse's pants.
They were still engaged in that one
kiss as they made love together.
----