Astro boy the movie (the novel)

CHAPTER 6

Dr. Tenma lived on the top floor of one of the tallest skyscrapers in Metro City. The glass windows always sparkled in the sunlight. They were never streaked or dirty-thanks to robots, of course.

From a distance, the window-cleaning robots looked like flying birds. Up close, you could see they worked in teams. A robot that looked like a spray bottle would squirt window cleaner on the glass. Another robot equipped with a squeegee and a helicopter propeller wiped the glass clean.

A flock of robots were at work on Dr. Tenma's windows when Astro was sent to his room. He flopped on his bed, sad. There was a photo on his night table of Toby and his dad. Toby was holding an astrophysics trophy, grinning. Dr. Tenma looked very proud.

"What's different?" Astro wondered. "I haven't seen Dad angry before."

He sighed, quiet for a moment. Then he heard an electronic squawking behind him. He turned to see two robots outside, cleaning his window. They chattered away in the electronic babble that robots used to talk to one another.

"Check out the haircut on that one," said the spray bottle, Mr. Squirt. "It looks like he's got horns."

"Ha-ha! Horns! Good one!" laughed Mr. Squeegee, his partner.

"What do you mean, horns? It's gel!" Astro protested.

Astro gasped.

"Wait! I can understand you!" he cried. But that should have been impossible. Humans couldn't understand robot language.

"Whoa, that's creepy," said Mr. Squeegee.

"What is?" asked Mr. Squirt.

"It's like he can understand us," Mr. Squeegee replied.

"Don't be stupid!" said Mr. Squirt.

"I can hear what you're saying!" Astro told them.

Mr. Squeegee squirted the window with liquid. "It's almost like he can hear what we're saying," he said, ignoring Astro.

"There's no way. He's a human," said Mr. Squirt. "Come on. Let's go leak oil on some statues."

"Ha-ha!" laughed Mr. Squeegee. "Okay."

He moved to wipe off the liquid on the glass when he screamed in fright. Astro had opened the window and was staring right at them.

"How can I understand what you're saying?" he asked. "You're robots!"

The two robots nervously backed up. "We don't want any trouble," said Mr. Squirt.

Astro grabbed him before he could fly off. "Wait up. I just want to know what's going on. What's happened to me?"

Mr. Squirt struggled to get away. "Hey, hey, calm down," Astro said. "I'm not gonna hurt you. You're safe, little fella."

Astro glanced down and gasped. He was hanging out of the window, hundreds of stories above the ground.

"Okay, guys, let's back up very carefully," he said calmly.

But Mr. Squirt just wanted to get away.

He sprayed Astro in the eyes.

"Aaaaaaaaaaargh!" Astro screamed.

He tumbled out of the window, plummeting to the ground.

"Oh, that's tragic, that is," said Mr. Squirt.

"Yeah," said Mr. Squeegee. "You still want to go leak oil on some statues?"

"Heck to the yeah!" agreed Mr. Squirt. "Come on, baby!"

The two robots flew away. Astro closed his eyes as the pavement rushed up to meet him. In a matter of seconds, it would all be over ...

Then something strange happened. Astro's body flipped into an upright position, with his feet facing the ground. Jets fired from the soles of his shoes. He hovered safely, inches above the ground.

Astro opened his eyes, not sure if he was dreaming. He wasn't. This was really happening.

Curious, Astro tried pushing up. He shot up quickly, losing his balance. But he was still hovering in the air. Astro tried again.

Slam! He hit the wall of the building, but he wasn't hurt. Laughing, he raised his arms above his head and took off into the sky.

Astro zipped past Mr. Squirt and Mr. Squeegee. The two robots squirted on themselves in shock.

Astro waved at the robots, but the motion sent him rocketing downward. An expressway tunnel loomed ahead, and Astro wasn't sure how to steer around it. He covered his eyes, hoping not to hit anything.

He zipped straight into the tunnel. Opening his eyes, he found he could weave in and out of the cars and trucks. He was getting the hang of it.

Astro emerged from the tunnel and soared up into the clouds. He had never felt so free.

He could fly!

Astro practiced diving in and out of the clouds. It was beautiful up here in the blue sky, with Metro City glimmering below. The more he flew, the bolder he got. Soon he was doing flips and cartwheels from cloud to cloud.

Astro flew as high as he could, then dove down through the clouds, heading back home. Now he was going so fast, he couldn't stop himself. Once again, he found himself plummeting toward the ground. Astro tried to turn upright again, but he couldn't do it.

Astro braced himself for the impact. Once again, something amazing happened. He dove right through the dirt, almost like he was swimming through water. He tunneled through the ground and exploded up from the top of a snow-covered mountain.

"This is so cool!" Astro cried, as he hovered over Metro City. "I gotta show Dad."