It was the starting of a new tradition as far as the children were concerned: They would meet at the park after school to play a game before dinner, and would take turns picking what game they were to play that day. Today, it was Karen's turn to choose. To no one's surprise, she chose 'Cops and Robbers'. It seemed the young Tawashi girl always wanted to play something that included being either a policeman, detective, or undercover agent. Thus, they divided into two even teams and began to chase each other about, tagging one another and laughing delightedly.
"Okay, so guess what! The ARRS is getting a new member." Karen said, after tagging Astro and Kennedy. The two boys headed toward the designated jail area.
"Let me guess. You?" Ally teased, coming from behind her and reaching for the object.
The others, including Karen, laughed briefly but tried to save most of their breath for running. "Nope. There's a new robot in the making whose going to join the squad sometime next week." Karen explained, swinging her arm wildly in attempts to touch Ally. The yellow bot managed to dodge out of the way just in time.
"Oh, cool!" Astro said.
"But why do we care?" Ally added.
"Well, it's important to me because I got to choose this one personally. Time out!" Karen gasped, holding up her hands and symbolizing a 'T'. The group gathered together in a circle and collapsed, being utterly exhausted.
"What do you mean you chose it?" Kennedy asked.
"Just that. I chose him. They were going to build a brand new robot with super advanced functions; like a photographic memory, fingerprint identification and stuff like that-- But I convinced them to recycle one of our disaster-response training robots instead."
"Disaster-response training robot? I've never heard of those." Astro admitted.
"They're like really old robots without emotion. Remember that Asheron guy who looked a lot like Pluto but didn't have Kokoro? They're like that. The police department uses them to train officers how to rescue victims in various emergency situations. This one used to be a crash dummy. Dad said once the bot gets out of the shop, I'll get to name him too." Karen stated, proudly folding her arms and smiling.
"So he's being upgraded?" Alejo questioned, being very interested in advanced robotics and A.I.
Karen nodded. "Yup! Because he's such an old model, they're not sure how many advanced features they'll be able to add, but at least he'll have Kokoro from now on."
"That's great!" Astro cheered.
"I'm a little confused. Why did you convince them to recycle an old robot, instead of building a new one?" Hannah asked.
"This particular robot was always a little quirky in the first place. You know how sometimes parents say that a glitchy computer or stubborn toaster has 'personality'? Well, that's what the trainers always said about this one. I thought he deserved a little something extra." Karen explained.
"Speaking of the police; Karen, how would I go about joining the ARRS?" Jay asked suddenly. Karen didn't expect such a question and turned to look at him.
Jay and Jade were built from the pieces a really old household bot whose primary functions were companion and protector. Jade had been constructed with the soft companion functions, while Jay was constructed with the rough protector functions-- Still, these weren't very advanced functions. In fact, Jade and Jay were only built to be the legacy of the aforementioned robot and a comfort to the old lady who had loved it very much. The old lady Jay and Jade referred to as 'Grandma' was visiting Metrocity in order to watch the concert because Jade was in it, but all three would be returning to their own little town in a few days. Grandma considered Jade and Jay to be the children of her dearly departed robotic friend, and thus her greatest treasures. Though Jay himself was Jade's twin brother, but he didn't look anything like her, much less like a police bot. He was colored green and grey and wore (what looked like) a knight's helmet with retractable mouth cover and visor. He couldn't fly with rocket boosters like Astro, Ally, or even the ARRS; instead he glided on air currents using retractable wings under his arms, which wings could double as weapons when needed. But why would Jay want to be a police bot?
...All these thoughts went through Karen's mind at a slow, calculated pace so she was left staring at Jay for a moment. The green robot thought that perhaps she was confused by his question and tried to clarify: "I really wanna be a cop, but the problem is, I wasn't built for that kind of stuff. So what do I do to become one?"
"I guess you could get upgrades, like the kind my crash-dummy is getting, but other than that I don't really know. It also takes a firm, duty bound state of mind." Karen said simply.
"Do I have that?" Jay asked.
"I don't know. You seem tender to me, but a little training could fix that. A cop has to be willing to do what it takes to complete their job, they also have to be ready for action at all time, and okay with not being around their family very much... That's kinda why Daddy isn't home very often." Karen said, becoming suddenly crestfallen toward the end of her sentence.
"Don't worry Karen. My father is always very busy too." Hannah said softly, placing her hand on Karen's shoulder. The young Tawashi smiled brightly, accepting the comfort her friend had offered.
"It's not a big deal, really. Crime never takes a break, so neither can justice." Karen said, stretching out and looking at the clear blue sky overhead. Suddenly, her deep brown eyes lit up and she smiled. "Hey! That's perfect!" She gasped.
"What is?" Jay asked, tilting her head slightly.
"Justice! That's what I'm going to call the new robot!" Karen cheered, rising to her feet.
"Justice?" The group asked in unison.
"Yeah! Well, no. Justin. But it's kinda the same. Oh! I have to go to the station and tell Dad!" With this, the young Tawashi spun around and started off across the park. Half way, she paused and turned around again. "Jay!" She called, "Why don't you come with me? We can ask the commissioner about your becoming a cop!"
Jay's countenance brightened as these words were spoken and instantly jumped up, following after the human child. Jade followed him, wanting to support her brother.
"Aw, I guess the game is over." Abercrombie moaned.
"A real shame too, because you guys were winning." Ally taunted, laughing and springing to her feet. Astro also stood up as well. "I should get to the Ministry of Science. Dr. O'Shay is expecting me." He said.
"Me too." Said Reno, dusting himself off.
"Alright." Kennedy replied. "We'll see you tomorrow at school then, Astro."
"Uhm, Astro?.. Could I come with you?" Lyn asked suddenly, albeit shyly. Astro smiled and nodded. The friends bade each other farewell and went their separate ways. Ally followed Lyn, Astro and Reno toward the city's local and most popular labratory. The huge building could be seen from miles away, standing tall in the very heart of MetroCity. Lots of people worked there with Dr. O'Shay at their head. It was usually a peaceful and friendly place to be, but when the foursome arrived that evening they found it blazing red with alarm bells and swarming with scientists who were racing to and fro, screaming. Together, Astro, Ally, Lyn, and Reno fought their way to the communications room.
"Doctor O'Shay! What's going on?" Astro called as he entered. The old scientist looked stricken as he turned to face the robot boy. "There's a huge compartment of energy from outer space coming this way." He managed to say.
"Energy?" Lyn asked.
"How much?" Reno asked.
"The readings are off the charts. This- er.. Energy ball, seems to have more energy than MetroCity could use in 40 years!.. And I'm afraid it's headed directly for us... And I mean 'directly'. If it continues on it's current path, it will collide with the Ministry of Science and take out half Metrocity!"
"We can't let that happen!" Astro snapped.
O'Shay's eyes were worried and sad. "I'm afraid there's nothing we can do. The object is made of pure energy. You'll be consumed and destroyed if you touch it."
"We have to do something!" Lyn insisted.
"All we can do is order an immediate evacuation of this part of the city." O'Shay sighed in defeat.
"How long until it gets here?" Astro asked.
"10 minutes." Dr. O'Shay said woefully.
"But, there's too many people. Not everyone will be able to get out in time." Ally worried aloud. O'Shay was silent. He'd already gone over all the facts, and he couldn't think of anything else to do. The thought was practically tearing him apart even now.
"No!" Astro called suddenly, turning and rocketing out of the room.
"Astro!" Lyn and O'Shay called in unison. Quickly, Lyn followed him.
"Oh, what are we going to do?" O'Shay worried, turning to face the screen with all the read outs. "We can't stop it, but we can't abandon millions of people!"
"How long ago was this energy ball discovered?" Reno asked.
"Just now. It just came out of nowhere so fast!" Dr. O'Shay replied.
Ally remained quiet for a few minutes, then partially turned toward the door. "I'm going to follow Astro." She said.
O'Shay caught her by the arm before she could take off. "Wait!" He begged, "Take this and give it to Astro so we can stay in contact with you." As he spoke, he handed Ally a small, white microphone chip from his coat.
Ally took it and raised an eyebrow. "Annnnnd, what good is this going to do if we all get blown up?" She asked skeptically. O'Shay looked at her seriously, displeased with the question, so Ally merely shrugged. In a matter of minutes, she was outside, rocketing toward the atmosphere behind Astro. Lyn didn't have rocket boosters and was thus unable to fly after them.
"Here, catch." Ally said, carelessly flipping O'Shay's phone to Astro as she pulled up beside him. Quickly, he placed it inside himself and was able to contact the Ministry. "Doctor?" He began.
"Astro! What are you planning to do? You can't touch it!" O'Shay's voice sounded.
"I have to try something!" Astro argued.
"I know.. I just don't think there's anything you can do." O'Shay answered.
"I'm going to try anyway." Astro responded. By now, the endlessness of space could be seen appearing around them. The two stopped and hovered in place. Their eyes scanned the vastness of space in search of the fabled energy ball, but it was silent and empty of everything except distant stars. Suddenly, a faint purple glow appeared ahead of them. What had looked to be a distant star soon became an ever growing ball of purple energy, racing for them at an incalculable speed. The sound of crackling static and power strong enough to fry a robot's circuits could be heard, almost felt, even from the distance it was.
"Well, there it is. Now what are you going to do? Punch it?" Ally asked skeptically as it drew closer.
"Not if I don't have to." Astro replied. As he spoke, Astro charged his arm cannon, then aimed and fired at the approaching object. The blast struck it's target head on but the energy ball continued at it's same pace and seemed completely untouched!
"It absorbed that blast like a sponge!" Astro cried as he recharged and prepared to fire again. Quickly, Ally turned and placed three fingers on Astro's face. "Here," She said simply, "Let me help."
All of a sudden, Astro felt very strange. He could no longer move or think, and could barely see anything through the static in his vision. It felt like he was malfunctioning! Briefly, a painful shock went throughout his entire body, then it was gone just as quickly as it had come. Ally let go and turned to face the energy ball. When she did, Astro's system was instantly returned to normal, allowing him to move, think and see yet again. What had happened? Astro looked at Ally who stretched out her hand toward the incoming object. As she did so, her arm suddenly melted away to reveal a cannon exactly like Astro's! This was surprising and puzzling to Astro. Last he checked, Ally didn't have one of those... Then he remembered Ally's ability to copy the functions of other robots. She must have copied his arm cannon, and that weird stuff from a moment ago was what happened when she did!
"Ready?" Ally asked, focusing hard on the speeding star. Astro nodded and aimed as she did.
"FIRE!" he demanded. At the same time, Astro and Ally released their shots, but to the same end. It had no effect on the ball of energy at all-- And it was too late. The star sped straight for them. Astro and Ally barely avoided being hit as it zoomed by.
"LOOK OUT!" A voice cried suddenly.
Astro turned to look at Ally, but she was silent. Had that voice come from inside the energy ball? Did Ally hear it? Her expression wasn't mystified or confused in anyway. Astro assumed she hadn't heard it... Perhaps he had only imagined it? Astro only wondered about it for a nano-second before he and Ally zoomed after the retreating energy ball.
"Doctor! I don't think we can stop it. We can't even slow it down! It absorbs everything we throw at it!" Astro cried.
"Is there anyway you could perhaps change it's course?" O'Shay's voice sounded back over the speaker.
"I don't know," Astro replied, "but I won't give up!"
Astro flew around to the side of the energy ball and readied his arm cannon again. Proceeding to fire, Ally followed his example and did the same. Still, no damage nor hindrance was done. By now, they were entering the atmosphere. The hot fiery waves surrounded and burned Astro and Ally, but didn't do a thing to the space object. Once more, the Astro fired his arm canon. Still nothing.
"I can't use my cannon anymore, Astro. I'm not as evolved as you are. I'll use the last of my energy if I fire again." Ally warned, her arm returning from canon mode. "Let's just try to push it!"
Astro remembered Dr. O'Shay's warning about contact with the ball, but shoved the thought away to the back of his mind and reached out. He was willing to sacrifice anything to save the people in MetroCity.
This time, the ball reacted:
A bolt of red lightning sprung forth from the ball and struck both Ally and Astro, dragging them against their will at the same speed the ball was going. It felt as though every circuit, even the tiniest part of their systems, were on fire and that every inch of them was being viciously ripped apart! Then, all at once, awful memories of their pasts were relived, and their darkest feelings were renewed inside them.
"Stay out of the way, you fools!" A hissing voice echoed in their robotic minds as they cried out in pain. Then the lightning recoiled and dropped them. Instantly, they were able to regain control of their corrupt feelings and the pain eased, but both Ally and Astro found that they had no energy left.
"It's alive!" Astro moaned through clenched teeth. As they fell, MetroCity and the Ministry of Science suddenly appeared below.
"Come on, Ash! We have to knock it off course or something!" Ally growled, trying her hardest to reactivate her rocket boosters. Astro felt fear and despair creep upon him as he watched the purple ball draw closer and closer to his home below. Struggling, he readied his arm cannon but he couldn't fire it. He was out of energy. In a burst desperation, Astro's arm rockets and rocket boots sprung to life, speeding him ahead until he reached the Ministry of Science and the spot the ball was going to hit. There, he hovered in place. With nothing else to do, Astro stretched out his arms on either side of his body and watched. The buzzing and crackling was unnerving as it grew louder and louder. Soon, the severe heat being produced could be felt.
"Astro! What are you doing?!" O'Shay's heart-sick cry sounded from the microphone.
"ASTRO NO! THAT WON'T STOP IT!! MOVE!" Ally cried out. Her boosters had also reactivated, but she did not have a pair in her arms like Astro did, and thus could not best the energy ball's speed and reach Astro in time.
"If you can hear me, please stop! You can't destroy this place or hurt these people!" Astro stated. A moment later, his mind was filled of two echoing voices: One belonging to the small child who had cried out before and the other was that harsh one that attacked them.
"This is his home! We have to change direction!" The child began, "It's too late for that! We can't stop!" hissed the foul one.
The energy ball was alive! Why couldn't it change it's direction? Astro closed his eyes and cowered, but did not leave his post, bracing himself for the inevitable impact. "I won't let you." He muttered, opening his eyes again and staring determinedly at his doom. Within seconds, the ball would collide with the ministry, destroy half the city, and take Astro with it..
What happened next happened too quickly for complete comprehension and left Astro in a daze: The purple ball sparked violently, then split in two! A red light shot off in one direction and a blue light in the exact opposite way. Both flew off and disappeared somewhere within the city... But there was no damage or explosion wherever they landed. Astro remained in front of the Ministry of Science for a moment longer, then slowly, he sunk from the sky and landed on the rock pavement below. The panic and sudden relief he had just experienced made Astro feel as though his system had stalled. With the threat gone, he could suddenly feel the loss of the energy he'd used and eventually gone without. He sat on his knees for another moment by himself, completely drained, before Ally collapsed in front of him.
"What is wrong with you?!" She lectured, clearly as exhausted as himself, "You could have been killed! Why do you have to be so heroic all the time?!"
Astro barely had a chance to answer before Lyn, O'Shay, miss Yuko, and millions of other people came swarming around the building to embrace him and make sure he was alright. "Oh Astro!" Lyn cried, "You did it!"
"Yes, and I'm so very proud of you!" O'Shay added, hugging the young robot.
"What did you do to stop it anyway?" Ally asked as one of the scientists helped her to her feet and stood to brace her. Astro only shook his head.
"I-.. I didn't.."
********
The following morning found Astro in school with all his friends, each wanting to hear every detail of his close call.
MEANWHILE...
Dr. O'Shay poured over the readings on a laptop at his desk at home.
"What are you doing, Dr. O'Shay?" Zoran's innocent voice asked suddenly. O'Shay glanced around to find the small, pink robot girl smiling up at him. He smiled back and laughed, inviting her around to take a look.
"I'm trying to find out more about that energy ball from yesterday." He explained, turning his laptop slightly so Zoran could see.
"You mean the one that almost blew us all up?" Zoran asked as she came forward. She stared for a moment at the screen then looked at her creator. "What makes you think it was only energy? Astro said it was alive and that it was speaking to him." She said.
O'Shay's smile fell. "Really? When did he say that?"
Zoran nodded. "I overheard him talking to Ally about it the other day, after you refilled their energy." She said proudly, as if eavesdropping was something to be admired.
"Hmmm. I'll have to ask him about that when he gets out of school." O'Shay muttered to himself.
In fact, Ally had been the only one Astro had told about the voices. He asked if she had also heard them, but Ally said she only heard the harsh voice. She never heard a child. That afternoon, the twelve friends from the previous morning regrouped again at the park after school. Today was Abercrombie's turn to choose the game and he wanted to play 'Hide and Seek'. "I'm good at that game." He said.
"So am I!" Astro laughed.
"Not as good as I am, I'll bet." Ally winked, placing her hands on her hips and shifting her weight to one foot.
"But who should be it?" Lyn asked.
"Who else?" C.J chuckled, pointing to Karen. Karen gladly accepted the challenge and stepped up to the old oak tree to begin counting. Quickly, the children branched off in different directions. Astro scurried away from the others, only to find Ally and Lyn seemed to be following him.
"What's wrong?" He asked, seeing a hint of distress on the faces of both girls.
"Where are you planning to hide?" Ally demanded.
"In the old hotdog wagon, why?" Astro replied.
Lyn and Ally moaned in unison. "I was planning to hide there." Lyn admitted,
"So was I." Ally said.
"Well, we can't all hide in there. There isn't enough room." Astro replied.
"Fine then. I'll just go hide in the branches of the old oak. If I'm quiet, Karen won't notice me." Ally said, turning to go.
Astro thought the mailbox would be a better hiding place and was about to offer the hot dog wagon to Lyn, when he suddenly felt an great impact run into his body! Stumbling a bit, he looked down to see a small robot girl, similar to Zoran in height, hugging him tightly. Her hair was same color as Ally's and pointed in two ways like his own, but was curled at the tips. Lyn even noticed that the girl was wearing a dress similar to her own!
"Oh there you are! It's so nice to see someone familiar in this strange place! I'm glad you are alright. I was quite sure you were gonna die!" The girl cheered.
Astro thought her voice sounded familiar. Ally spun on her heels to look at the little girl and seemed rather unnerved to see her hugging Astro so tightly. "Uhm.. Who are you?" She asked, obvious displeasure in her tone.
"My name is Cacao." The girl announced proudly, opening her surprisingly bright blue eyes.
"I'm sorry. Do you know me?" Astro squeaked awkwardly, the pressure of the girl's embrace was beginning to hurt.
"Oh yes! I nearly ran into you yesterday, remember? You were flying and I was about to blow you and your home up!" Cacao cheered, finally releasing him. That was all the connection Astro needed; he could instantly place the voice to the energy ball! It was the very same child's voice he had heard!
"Wait!..What?" Lyn asked.
"That was so very brave of you! I'm happy you did it because I had no idea that anyone lived here and I like you very, very, very, very much!" Cacao continued, ignoring Lyn completely.
"Then, you're the energy ball?" Astro gasped loudly.
"Oh yes! I was that! I still am, but I like this look better because I'm so cute and look like you!" Cacao cheered, running forward and catching him in a tight hug yet again.
"What!?" Ally snapped, "That was you?! What is your problem?! You almost killed us all!"
"Problem?" Cacao asked, letting go and backing away from Astro. "Problem." She repeated, looking up and tapping her chin with her forefinger as if thinking. "Problem... I don't think I have one. Wait! I remember I did have a problem.. But I don't remember what it was anymore- Oh wait! Oh yes! I was blasted away from my home against my will and it was awful." Toward the end of her sentence, she glanced down sadly and even began to tear up and sniffle.
Astro reached out and touched her shoulder. "Don't cry. It's alright now, nobody was hurt.. Where is your home? Do you know? Maybe I could take you back there?"
Cacao glanced up at him suddenly, and looked into his eyes as though mesmerized. Suddenly, she threw her hands up and squealed loudly, racing forward and embracing him yet again. "You have the most gorgeous soul!" She cried, "I noticed it yesterday too, when you were protecting the big castle. I love your soul!" This was confusing and startling to Lyn and Ally, but most of all to Astro. They stood in silence, watching Cacao snuggle Astro, then she spoke again: "Yes, I think I'm in love!.. Oh yes! I definitely love you! What's your name? Please tell me your name!"
Astro was speechless and somewhat freaked out, but politely spoke his name to her and also introduced his two flabbergasted friends. Cacao did not seem to hear any names further than the one she had asked for, because she didn't even smile at or say 'hello' to Ally or Lyn at all. Instead, she continued to snuggle Astro and say his name over and over again. "Astro... MY Astro!.. Oh, that sounds so wonderful and so nice! I love you, MY Astro, I truly do!"
Ally and Lyn stood, almost fuming it seemed. "He's not your Astro!" Ally snapped.
Just then Karen's voice called out. "Ready or not, here I come!" Cacao stiffened and looked petrified for a moment at the sound. For a moment, Astro, Ally, and Lyn were at a loss as to wither they should run and hide real quick, or if they should call off the game and introduce Cacao to everyone else. Cacao, however, answered the question for them by releasing Astro and running off down the road as fast as her tiny legs could carry her.
"Hey wait! Where are you going?" Astro called.
She did not respond, only vanished from view a moment later.
"Astro, Ally, Lyn! Found you all!... Seesh, you guys don't understand the concept of hiding at all, do you?" Karen scoffed, coming up to them.
"What?! Are you seriously telling me you did not just see that freaky kid run off just now?" Ally demanded, looking at Karen and pointing in the direction Cacao had gone. Karen looked down the road, then back at Ally.
"No, I saw her. Who was she?" She asked.
"I think-- Well, she said she was that energy ball form yesterday." Astro said, rubbing the back of his head.
"And the likelihood of that is...?" Karen scoffed.
"Very high actually. I didn't tell anyone about this before but.. The ball spoke to me and sounded exactly like that little girl. I she is what she claims to be." Astro said.
Karen looked interested and tilted her head. "Really? Okay, did she tell you why she tried to kill us all the other day?"
"No.. All she said was that Astro was now her personal property." Ally grumbled.
"Not exactly." Astro argued.
"Pretty much." Lyn replied in a tone just as bitter as Ally's had been.
Karen opened her mouth to ask another question, but Kennedy's voice called out from some unknown place and interrupted her. "Is the game still going?" He asked.
"Yes! But Astro had to go home, so he's not playing anymore!" Karen called back. Astro was confused but Karen looked at him again and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Look, I'm not sure what all this means, but I really, honestly believe you need to fly home and tell Dr. O'Shay everything." She said sternly.
Astro nodded, then turned and rocketed away. Karen, Ally, and Lyn watched him go. Then Karen turned and tapped both robot girls on the heads. "One, two. You both are out!" She said cheerfully, spinning on her heels and racing back into the park in search of the others.
"Wait, Karen! That wasn't fair! We didn't get to hide!" Lyn complained, running after her. Ally waved her hand dismissively and rocketed away into the sky for herself, leaving only ten friends to finish the game. Meanwhile, Astro did as Karen suggested and told Dr. O'Shay absolutely everything he could recall, right down to Cacao's appearance in the park.
"How strange.. Well, I think we must go find her, Astro. If she really is from an alien world, she won't know her way around the city and may get lost or even hurt." O'Shay said, grabbing his coat from the closet and placing it around his shoulders. Astro nodded, eager to find Cacao before either of those things happened. As they approached the door, however, the doorbell rang suddenly. Quickly, O'Shay opened it and found, to his great surprise, Detective Tawashi standing on the porch beside another man. This man was strange and unfriendly looking.
"Dr. Oshay. This man here claims that his daughter is missing. She was last seen near the Ministry of Science and I'm wondering if you've seen any small child wondering around." Detective Tawashi said.
"Oh. Well, I don't know. What does she look like?" Dr. Oshay asked.
The other man looked down at the floor. "I don't have a picture of her." He snapped.
"Can you describe her?" Detective Tawashi asked.
"Yes and no.. She's really good at changing her appearance." The man muttered.
"What does that mean?" Detective Tawashi asked.
The man did not respond. Instead, his eyes fell on Astro. A malicious glare suddenly shown on his face. "Have you seen her, young man?" He demanded.
Astro stuttered for a minute. For some reason, this man's gaze made him feel the same way he had when the red lightning and harsh voice from the energy ball attacked. For a brief second, Astro could have sworn he saw the man's eyes melt to a blood red color, then to black once again. Because O'Shay and Tawashi's attention was on the small robot boy, they did not notice the change.
"Have you seen her, Astro?" Detective Tawashi insisted.
"I-I..I don't think so." Astro stuttered, finally being able to speak when he broke eye contact with the strange man.
"What's her name? We'll keep an eye out for her." Dr. O'Shay asked kindly.
"Her name translated in your tongue would be 'Cacao'." The man said, "And she'd be loathe to change it, so she'll most definitely introduce herself by it."
Astro and Oshay felt their hearts in their throats. O'Shay tried to regain his composure as best he could. "Ou- Our tongue? What do you mean? Where is it you come from?" He stuttered.
"Far away. It does no use mentioning it to you because you most assuredly would not know of it." The man said bluntly.
"Well if you see the girl, let me know in an instant." Detective Tawashi said, tipping his hat to his two fellows and turning to leave with the strange man. Astro noticed the stranger shoot him another harsh glare before following the detective away. Astro turned to look at O'shay.
"Doctor! Something doesn't feel right about that man. I think Cacao maybe in danger if that man is looking for her!" He said urgently.
Dr. Oshay nodded, "I think you maybe right. Quickly, get in the car and let's go. Nora, take care of Zoran while we're gone!" And with that, the doctor and his robotic charge shut the door to the house and approached the vehicle.By now the sun was beginning to set orange over MetroCity and darkness had already taken many alleyways and back roads. Dr. O'shay and Astro searched for hours until the sky above them was extremely dark and starless. O'shay began to wonder if it wasn't about time that they should go home. They already missed dinner and it was passed Astro's bedtime.
"I'm afraid we may have to quit for tonight, Astro." Doctor O'shay sighed in defeat.
"We can't! Cacao maybe in real danger!" Astro complained.
"I understand Astro, but you have school in the morning. The strange man doesn't have a description of her, so it'll take awhile for anyone to find her. Who knows? Maybe she'll find you again just like she did before." O'Shay said, trying to be comforting.
"Do you really think so?" Astro asked sadly.
"Yes. I'm almost certain of it." O'Shay said.
"And you're right!" A small voice cheered behind them. O'Shay's car veered violently before coming to a screeching halt. Turning around in his chair, the doctor and Astro both found a smiling Cacao in the back seat.
"Cacao!" Astro gasped.
Cacao smiled and waved happily.
"How long have you been there, Cacao?" Dr. O'Shay asked kindly, though he was severely shaken.
"I've been here the whole time! I followed Nega to your house and climbed into your car while he wasn't looking! Aha! I am clever!" Cacao bragged, folding her arms proudly.
"Who's Nega?" Astro asked.
"Oh, he's-..." Cacao never finished her sentence however. Seconds into it, her attention fell on O'Shay's giant nose poking out over his shoulder. Slowly and intently, she leaned forward and caught hold of it, giving it a mighty squeeze. Instantly, the doctor yelped in pain.
"Cacao! Don't do that! That's his real nose and you can hurt him if you squeeze it like that!" Astro lectured, leaning over his seat to stop her. Cacao recoiled regretfully.
"Oh.. I'm sorry." She whimpered softly. A second later, her eyes drooped and she let out a huge yawn, then she collapsed on the back seat, completely unconscious. Astro watched her for a moment, then looked at Dr. Oshay. Were they really going to harbor her when Detective Tawashi was looking for her? How could they get away with that? The drive home was very quiet and Dr. Oshay pondered what to do. When they arrived, Astro took Cacao in his arms and carried her into the house. The lights were off and Zoran was already asleep. Dr. O'Shay quietly placed his coat back in the closet and turned to take Cacao from Astro.
"Go make a bed for her in the guest room, please Astro." He said softly.
Astro nodded and headed quietly up the stairs. O'Shay walked slowly after him. Just then, he felt a soft little hand on his cheek. Looking down, he saw Cacao smiling up at him. With her last effort, she came up slowly and softly kissed the tip of his nose, then slipped back to sleep. O'Shay smiled. This little alien had stolen his heart away forever. After he laid her in bed and set Astro off to sleep, O'Shay returned to the living room and called Detective Tawashi back.
"Detective. I'm sorry for calling so late, but I was wondering about that man from before. What do you know about him?" He asked.
"Not a thing. In fact, doctor, I think it may interest you to know that he's disappeared without a trace. We've been combing the city for him and his Cacao, but we haven't found either." Came the detective's tired voice.
"Really?" O'shay gasped. He now felt it safe to tell the esteemed detective the truth. Detective Tawashi listened quietly on the other side of the phone, and to O'Shay's great relief, he came to the same conclusion about the man that Astro had.
"I think you should keep her in your care for awhile, O'shay, and keep a close eye on her. I don't believe in all this space and alien junk, but whatever's going on, we'll get to the bottom of it." Tawashi said.
"Yes. Thank you detective." O'shay said softly, "Goodnight."
With that, the conversation ended and the phone was hung. O'shay retired to an overdue rest and the night continued on in peaceful silence.
TO BE CONTINUED...
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