Copy, (An Astro Boy Story)

Chapter 13: The Search

It was quiet and dark. Not a sound broke the silence and not a movement disturbed the stillness.

But then, a slight light disrupted the darkness. It wasn't an overhead bulb; just an individual light. A flashlight.

The beam of the light searched around the room until it fell on a work table near the center. On it, the light revealed, lay a boy, apparently dead, or asleep. Either way, he did not move or breathe.

A hand lightly touched the boy's head and turned it slightly. With one finger, it pressed on a spot between the boy's two styled spikes and a little panel revealed itself that was not there before. Without a sound, the hand dug a fingernail under the small panel and popped it open, revealing a small chip, glowing with green backup energy.

Carefully, the hand removed the small chip and replaced the panel. Immediately, the panel melted into the boy's head once again, completely invisible.

Clutching the chip in his hand, the person the hand belonged to quickly left the room, taking the light with him.

The room fell into darkness once again.

~O~

Cora's POV:

Her whole world seemed to have suddenly come off its hinges.

CRASH! Little pieces of broken glass seemed to fall in slow motion all around her, hitting the ground with a sound like the tinkling of bells.

Today, the mighty robot-known as Astro to the civilian community-was deactivated...

Robot...Astro...deactivated...

Those words. Those three words sent everything crashing to the ground.

No. No, it couldn't be true. They were lying. They had to be lying! He couldn't be gone...they couldn't have shut him off...

Cora stared at the screen with complete and utter horror on her face, unable to look away from the smiling image of President Logan, his words hitting her ears as if in slow motion. Even then, they seemed slurred, gurgley, like she was underwater.

No. NO!

NO!

Tears welled in her clear blue eyes and stung fiercely as she tried to keep them back. Everything seemed to move slowly, but even as Doctor Tenma took to the podium, reality was already beginning to sink in.

No...

...was a test...a test to see the full potential of both the Blue Core and modern robotic technology...

No, no Astro wasn't a test. Isn't a test. He's a boy. A real, living, feeling boy! HE'S NOT JUST A ROBOT!

She felt like she was going to scream, explode, but she didn't. She couldn't. It was like her voice didn't work, her facial muscles didn't move the way the bubbling cauldron of emotions in her stomach wished her to. All they did was stare at the screen in open-mouthed horror.

...saw what he was capable of...decided it was best to retract him...doesn't change the fact that he is a robot....not a very wise idea.

No! NO! Nononononono!

The tears had escaped now and were flowing down her cheeks. She couldn't control them. At this point, she didn't care.

All she could do was run.

Run away. Run away from it all.

She turned and pushed her way through the crowd, not even aware of who she was barreling over or what they were saying. She just had to get out of here. She couldn't breathe, she needed air, she needed—