Copy, (An Astro Boy Story)

Chapter 24: Wrenches--Who Knew?

Tenma had shut his mouth real quick, worried that the General may have heard him whisper Toby's name. It had been a good choice. Sharp, angry footfalls came in his direction not long after the lights shut off, and before he could prepare himself, a harsh light was shone in his eyes and Stone loomed in his face.

Tenma blinked roughly as his eyes adjusted, and he was able to make out a Holo-phone illuminating them in a small circle before he was met by a glob of furious spit from Stone.

"Do you have anything to do with this, Tenma?" the convict growled, his eyes blazing.

Tenma rolled his own eyes. This was not far from familiar. "You think I did this?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "I've been tied to this chair the whole time, if you haven't noticed."

Stone grumbled something incoherent, before pointing an accusatory finger at him. "If you had anything to do with this Tenma, I swear I will personally murder you. Slowly and painfully."

"Good to know," Tenma drawled rather sarcastically, although worry festered in his stomach. Not for himself, obviously, but for Toby. Suddenly, a slow and painful death upon his son did not seem that out of the question, and any snark he'd had in him quickly dissipated.

Stone, thankfully, had appeared to move on, and was now hurriedly discussing countermeasures with Heckler.

"The outage or whatever this is has shut down the computers, so our - ah - technologically knowledgeable source cannot generate open access to the X-project containment," he grumbled, and from his tone Tenma could tell he was scowling. "Which means, I need to get my hands dirty and go find a way to either bypass it, or get the power back on."

He huffed. "And hopefully find the lil bugger that caused this along the way," he added under his breath darkly. "I'd like to give them a little present, straight from the heart."

Tenma felt his hands grow sweaty in his bindings. Stone disappeared into the dark again, somewhere out of Heckler's Holo-phone circle of light, giving the General orders over his shoulder as he went.

"Stay here and watch the good doctor and his 'bot boy," he commanded carelessly, and his nonchalant tone somehow sent chills down Tenma's spine. "If our power-sucking friend shows...well, have some fun, old friend."

And then he was gone. A little beam of phone light took form and then disappeared out the lab's double doors, and Tenma was left alone with his dead robot son, a former, crazy general, and his own pulsing fear.

Fantastic.

Heckler had adjusted his Holo-phone brightness and turned it up all the way, shinning it briefly around the lab and grumbling when he saw the lab entrance left open after Stone. He trudged slowly in that direction to close it, using what little light he had to prevent himself from tripping over things in the dark.

The figure hiding in the shadows only moved for a second, and then it was gone. Heckler didn't seem to have noticed it, and if Tenma hadn't been looking right there right then, he would have missed it completely.

But he knew he had seen it - even with the weak light of the phone. A person, sneaking through the darkness around the perimeter of the lab.

A figure wearing red shoes.

Toby.

~O~

Toby's heart was beating in his ears as he ran past Heckler, narrowly avoiding revealing himself in the light. Cora was right next to him, as he could hear her breathing, although he couldn't see a lick of anything in the dark.