Copy, (An Astro Boy Story)

Chapter 1: Robot Boy

Chapter 1: Robot Boy

Astro landed on top of his father's penthouse with a smile on his face, carelessly wiping off some grit from the slick surface of his robotic skin as his feet reverted from rocket boots back to normal. He had just arrived from stopping the demonic orange alien-thingy from destroying the city, and his spirits were high. Not only from his victory, but also from everything that had just happened to him.

He wasn't dead. He had come very close to it, but he wasn't dead. Twice he had been shut down, and twice he had thought his short life had been over for good. But he had been rescued, first by his father, and then by ZOG, his faithful robot friend. And not only that, his father had come to accept him despite the fact that he was a robot, and an imperfect copy of his dead son. And Cora had been reunited with her parents. Astro couldn't see how his life could get any better.

Unable to wipe the joyful grin off his face, Astro slid off the roof and entered the penthouse the normal way. As he walked down the spacious halls he surveyed its contents, his smile slipping somewhat. It was weird looking at the place and having memories surface about it. Him running through it, a little kid, playing hide-and-seek. Him reading a book on that couch. Him finally mastering a difficult video game on that game system. It was him, his memories. But yet they weren't. They were Toby's memories, downloaded into his head by Tenma so that he could be as much like Toby as possible.

For some reason, it bothered him. He knew he was a robot, and he knew he would never truly be Toby. He might have his memories and look just like him, but he wasn't him. He was his own person, and he liked that. So maybe that's why the memories bothered him so much. He had found out he was a robot and had been kicked out of Metro City. He had met Cora and the other orphans on the surface and found himself while he was there. He had made friends. And then he had returned to Metro City and saved it from destruction, finding his own destiny in the process. His purpose. He might have been created to be a replacement for Toby, but that was no longer his purpose. His purpose, his destiny, was to protect Metro City and use his special abilities to help others…and be as good as a son as he could to his father. That is who he was. Not Toby. So why couldn't he just have his own memories, instead of his own plus Toby's? A constant reminder of who he was created to replace? He'd much rather just be able to remember his time on the surface with Cora and the others, not the fake stuff planted in his robotic brain.

Sighing, Astro made his way through the rest of the house, not quite as happy as he had been a moment ago, but still unable to rid himself of the joyful feeling in his heart—er, Core—altogether. His spirits only lifted as he entered the penthouses main living room to hear the sound of his father's voice. Bill Tenma. His creator. His father. A father that wanted him, and had accepted him for what he was. A father that Astro loved from the deepest depths of whatever that it was in him that allowed him to feel. He wasn't sure what exactly it was that allowed that, but he thought it had something to do with the Core. The Core powered him. It kept him alive and gave him the ability to walk, think and talk. Why wouldn't it be the source of his feelings? It only made sense.

Smiling at the thought, Astro approached his father. He seemed to be on the phone with someone, having an in-depth conversation. Not wanting to interrupt him, Astro sat down on one of the couches and waited patiently for his father to finish.

As he waited, he could not help but listen to the conversation. His enhanced robotic hearing went off on its own, magnifying the words on both sides of the phone for his ears to hear without even trying. Grinning, he released his dad was talking to Doctor Elfun.

"—still not sure how he is capable of such feeling, but it must be something to do with the Blue Core," Tenma was saying, speaking rapidly and excitedly. "I hadn't put much thought into it before because I was so wrapped up in the fact that my little Toby was back and then that whole fiasco came right after it. I never really looked too much into the sheer abilities of the Core. Not only is he a perfect replica of Toby, he feels. And not programmed feelings, real feelings! Love, hatred, sorrow, happiness….everything! It's…it's amazing!"