Zircon's Jewel - Final

[tic_tac_astro]

Well this is it: my final topic on this. And it's at its final draft, so this will be it.
Thanks to all of those who've read it so far; I will be continuing it..and finishing it.

Chapter 1: Zircon Reborn

It all starts off where Dr. Tenma, a robot engineer, starts awaking another robot. It’s been days since he’s been working on trying to awaken it, but so far, he’s still been trying to get the robot to awaken. The robot looked cold and pale, with its clothes stripped, and dark, gray hair. This was a robot found hidden in a deep, dark, trench, under the sea; when Tenma found it he tries to revive it back.
*Come on,* Tenma says in his mind. *Awaken!* Even though he tries to revive it, it was hopeless. Tenma then slams his hands, shaped into fists, onto the robot capsule. “Something must be missing,” Tenma said, in a puzzled mood. “What could it be?” Later on, he notices that a hole was found on the middle of the robot’s forehead. Tenma finally realizes that the robot won’t wake up unless something was inserted into it. Tenma looks everywhere around the robot to find the object; all of a sudden, he heard a sound of some sort bounce and then rolled onto the floor near his feet.
Tenma looked down and noticed a small, orange-colored, spherical-shaped jewel on the floor and picked it up.
“A jewel,” Tenma said eyeing it suspiciously. “Could this be its key?”
He inserts the jewel into the robot’s forehead, and then tries to awaken it again. This time it worked, but something triggered the computer systems, and caused them to overload. Tenma was in shock.
“What’s happening?” he asked. He suddenly realizes that this robot can’t be revived using energy. The computer and all of its systems overloaded and then exploded. Tenma’s latest projects, he had been also working on were destroyed, too. The robot capsule broke open; the robot then awakened, appearing bright silver, with its body crackling with blue sparks, and it started giving off powerful discharges of a chrome-like structure, all around the room.
Tenma noticed all of the destruction the robot was causing.
“The energy levels are rising!” he said. There’s no way this could happen…unless, that jewel!”
He took a glance at the robot’s jewel; the energy was swirling quickly inside.
“It seems to absorb and repel the energy I give it!” Pieces from the ceiling are starting to fall, and they’re starting to cave in. Tenma couldn’t find an exit, until suddenly, the robot notices that Tenma was in danger. It flew over to him as quick as it can, picked him up, it then created a force field to prevent the pieces of ceiling from hitting them, and found an exit to escape out of.
Dr. Tenma was glad that the robot saved him, but by the time the robot put Tenma safely on the ground, the robot was then hit by a piece of the wall from Tenma’s Lair, causing it to accidentally drop Tenma within two feet, onto the ground. The robot landed and then fell on its knees in exhaustion; it appeared to get weaker from all of the power it uses from the jewel if used too much. Tenma just stared blankly at the silver being; he couldn’t do anything to help. In about a minute later, the robot slowly stood. It took a glance at Tenma, gave off a little smile, and started flying off into the woods feeling tired. Tenma was amazed that the robot he found would create that much power.
“I’ve never seen energy levels excel like that,” he said. “It wasn’t even limited…that jewel; I must have it!”

[tic_tac_astro]

Chapter 2: A Silver Being?

The robot Tenma activated went from flying, to walking, and then to crawling into the dark woods, getting weaker and losing power by the minute. The robot then reached an unexpected road after crawling out from the woods. Even though it was just out of power, a car unexpectedly drove out of nowhere, and was heading towards the robot. It heard it was coming, and it was about to get hit. It soon stood up; when its eyes shot open, it fired a huge power surge of the chrome-like structure, right at the car. The driver tried to slow down, but it was too late. The chrome-like structure hit the car and it was blasted about eight feet in the sky, leaving it particularly frozen in midair. The robot appeared extremely tired from using its powers again, so it needed to find somebody to help it. It started to fly again, weakly, and started to head towards the nearest city, Metro City. The robot was just about out of power, until it found Dr. O’shay’s house, and planted itself on the front lawn. When it shut down, some of the chrome-like structure covered over some grass and flowers around its body.

This morning, Zoran was wide awake, and headed outside to check on the flowers she planted, until she screamed. Astro and Dr. O’shay heard her scream, and headed outside to see what her problem was. All three of them spotted a robot body on the front lawn. They were surprisingly amazed.
“What is it?” Zoran asked. “Looks like a robot to me,” Astro said. He crouched down to get a closer look.
“She looks terrible. How did she get here?” Dr. O’shay took a closer look at her.
“Interesting,” he said, looking at the robot’s surroundings. “She must’ve created her surroundings when it shut down.”
“It covered the flowers I just planted yesterday!” Zoran said acting a little frustrated.
“Relax, Zoran,” Astro replied. “You can always plant new ones.” He picked up the robot and handed it to Dr. O’shay.
“Her clothes are stripped as well,” He said. “You might want to take it to the Ministry of Science, just to see if you can revive it.”
“I’ll try the best I can,” Doctor said. “Other than that, Astro, you'd best be on your way to school. If you want, you can tell your friends about this.”
“Alright then,” Astro replies.
Astro runs inside the house and starts to get dressed.
“Zoran,” Doctor says to her. “I need you to do one big favor for me.”
“I’m listening,” Zoran said.
“I need to show Detective Tawashi photos of the robot’s surroundings. Since I might be late for work, I don’t have time to take pictures of them. Can you take a few shots of the robot’s crash site, and then send them to him?” Zoran thinks for a little bit.
“How?” she asked. “I don’t know where he lives.”
“Why don’t you get Houdini to help you?” Doctor asked. “He’ll find him and give the pictures to him without you giving them to him.”
“Okay!” Zoran says happily, and then ran inside the house to get a camera. Doctor put the robot in his car, and drove towards the Ministry.
Zoran grabbed the camera from the kitchen drawer, and headed back outside. Astro also headed outside and spotted Zoran taking a few shots of the robot’s crash site.
“I hope the robot’s all right,” he said.
“Yeah; she is going to pay for ruining my flowers!” Zoran said, still frustrated. Astro chuckled.
“Speaking of which, I have to go to school; I’m sure my friends would be excited to hear this.” Zoran waved as soon as Astro flew away using his jets.
After Zoran took the pictures of the robot’s crash site, she then noticed Houdini, her pet bird, fly down from the sky and landed on her arm. “Why, hello, Houdini,” Zoran said surprised. Houdini squawked. “Listen, I need you to run a little errand for me. Could you give these pictures I took to Detective Tawashi?” Zoran showed the pictures to Houdini. “I’ll give you some bird seed once you’ve come back.” Houdini chirped happily, grabbed the pictures from Zoran’s hand, and then flew off.
“Good luck, Houdini!” she said, and then thinks for a second. “I hope that robot’s okay, though.”

[tic_tac_astro]

Chapter 3: Doctor’s Latest Awakening

It’s been about an hour past his break since Dr. O’shay did some research on the shut down robot at the Ministry of Science’s testing laboratory. Before then, its body was slightly dusted for thorough analyzing. Behind the screens from afar, computers scanned every part of her.
“How are the robot’s physical features?” Doctor asked. “Are there any leaks or permanent damages?”
“No, doctor,” one of his assistants replied. “A few scratches, maybe, but besides that, she’s probably in working condition.”
“Alright; scan her central hard drive for faults or viruses.”
“Scanning…There are no faults; she appears to be in good condition.”
“Well, I guess it’s time for – wait a minute…” He stared at the jewel. “Get a close examination on that jewel.”
One of the scientists scanned the jewel’s dimensions and its results appeared on the screen. The other scientists and Dr. O’shay were stunned.
“This is incredible!” one yells. “Its energy levels are off the charts!”
Doctor stared at him.
“Is there a reading on its energy?”
“No, the monitors can’t identify it. If you ask me, the energy it uses might have originated from an unknown source. Ergo, it could have been from outer space.”
“You don’t say…” He trailed off and looked the robot from afar.
“If the energy is unknown, how are we able to revive her? There could be risks; we don’t know what can happen!”
“We won’t know unless we try, Doctor,” Another scientist speaks. “According to the monitors, there’s a 35% chance that the jewel will experience a possible meltdown. I’m positive that the jewel can handle the energy we give it; however, we can’t give it too much otherwise the risks could be quite high.” Others looked at each other and agree. Doctor just sighed and crossed his arms.
“Alright, fine,” he said. “Warm up the charger; we’ll also need to keep watch of her energy levels.”
“Yes, sir, I’m warming up the charger now.” A few moments later another scientist responds.
“The charger is up to 100%; preparing to transfer the energy.” He said. “The energy is ready for transfer. I’m transferring the energy now.”
While the energy was being transferred, Doctor watched the robot’s energy levels. About a couple minutes later its internal levels were rising; however the jewel’s percentages were slowly rising.
“Doctor, the risks are rising!” One scientist says. “I don’t think the jewel can take much more!” Dr. O’shay balled his hands into fists. He still kept his eyes on her internal levels. *Just a little more…85%...* He thought.
“Sir, we can’t keep this up any longer! We must stop soon or the risks will take over!” Soon the internal levels reached 97%. The risks have risen to 65%.
“We can’t give up! We’ve gotten this close!” Doctor shouts. At this point no one could see the robot’s body behind the screens. The energy levels were so high it brightened the room!
“Doctor we must stop now!”
“Then end it! We’ve gotten to where we needed to be!” The scientists shut down the charger immediately. Internal levels…100%; risks have risen to 75%. The room dimmed down to normal lighting a few seconds later. After the energy was given to the robot, Doctor exited the work room and went up to her capsule. The capsule opened, the smoke cleared, and her face twitched while trying to open her eyes.
The robot soon leaned the upper part of its body forward, and her gray hair turned into bright, rainbow-colored hair. Dr. O’shay took a glance at the robot, until it finally opened its eyes; her original gray eyes soon lit up to a pleasant, mid-green. Everything at first was bright and all a blur, but she adapted and glanced about the lab.
“Where…where am I?” she slowly asked.
“You’re in the Ministry of Science,” Doctor said. “You were revived here.” She stopped looking around and stared at Doctor blankly.
“Was I born here?” she asked.
“Well, not exactly,” Doctor replied. “I found you shut down on my front lawn. You were lucky enough to be revived. I was surprised that you weren’t in a too serious condition.”
“I was on your front lawn?” She asked shocked. “I’m so sorry…I was just so tired and,” Doctor chuckled.
“Don’t worry about it; it wasn’t too serious.” The robot just sighed and looked down.
“By the way,” Doctor said. “Do you have a name?” The robot looks at Dr. O’shay. “Yes; it’s Zircon.” Doctor smiles at her. “That’s a nice name for a robot,” he said. “Do you remember when you were created?”
“No,” Zircon said after a brief second. “I can’t even remember who created me.” Dr. O’shay puts a hand on Zircon’s shoulder.
“Not to worry,” Doctor said. “Until you can remember who created you, why don’t you stay at my house for now?” Zircon smiled.
“Really? Oh, thank you! That’d be great!” she said. “By the way, you can call me Dr. O’shay, or Doctor, if you like,”
“Alright,” Zircon said happily. Doctor suddenly acts surprised.
“Oh! I almost forgot! Now that you’re awake, I can tell Astro and Zoran about you!”
“Who are they?” Zircon asked. “They’re robots with a heart just like you. You will be meeting them at my house soon.” Doctor said as he looks at his watch. “Astro should be home at any time now. He was at school for a few hours.”
“School?” Zircon asked. “I’ve never been to school before.” “Why don’t you let me enroll you?” Doctor asked.
“You would do that? Though, I’m afraid it will give you trouble; I don’t want you to go through all this.” Dr. O’shay just chuckled. “Oh, it won’t be a problem, so I wouldn’t worry about it.” She sighed in relief. “Thank you, Doctor; that’s so kind of you.”
“It’s not a problem; you don’t have to thank me. Let’s just head home so you can meet Astro and Zoran; but first, let’s get you out of those clothes…You don’t want to be seen looking like that, do you?” Zircon looked at her tattered clothes and smiled in embarrassment.

[tic_tac_astro]

Chapter 4: Zircon’s Introduction

By the time Dr. O’shay and Zircon got home, and then entered the door, Zoran was drawing in a coloring book, and Astro was viewing a magazine. Both Astro and Zoran looked up.
“Hi, Doctor!” They said.
“Hello, you two,” Doctor said. “There’s someone I want you two to meet. It’s the robot that we found and then revived.” Zircon popped out behind Doctor’s back. “Astro, Zoran, this is Zircon,” Doctor said.
“Hello,” she said shyly and waved a hand. She was wearing an azure long-sleeved shirt and pants, darker zigzag designs covered her collar, middle, sleeves and pants. Her amber-colored shoes were shined before their departure from the ministry.
“Zircon hasn’t been in Metro City before,” Doctor says. “So tomorrow, we can show her around.”
“Alright,” Astro said. “I don’t mind showing her around.” Zoran cheered about the idea. “But,” he said pausing. Doctor turned his head towards Astro.
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
“I don’t understand how Zircon landed on our front lawn,” Astro said. Zircon’s mouth partly opened; her mind was frozen on Astro’s sentence.
“Hmm, that’s what I’m also trying to figure out,” Doctor said, and turns is head towards Zircon.
“Zircon, would you mind explaining?” Zircon stood still for a second and looked down at the floor.
“Well,” she began. “I hardly remember anything, but I can tell you what I might know. I mean, it may or may not be all true; my mind is still a blur from it.” She turns her head towards the living room and asks, “Mind if we take a seat? This might take awhile.” All head towards the area and sit down. Zircon pauses for a second before she began.
“I don’t remember who my creator is, but he conducted an experiment showing what it would be like if a robot would run on jewel power. That same person started to create me. Even though that person was trying to create me, he couldn’t find a jewel powerful enough to awake me. He tried jewels from diamonds to rubies, but still, none of them worked. He needed to find something that will keep me stable; anything that has energy. Diamonds and others only useful for decorative looks have no effect. Since he wanted to awake me so much, he started looking everywhere around the world.”
“I see,” Doctor said. “Do you know any places your creator looked?”
“Practically everywhere,” Zircon said. “However, I can’t specify which places.”
“Continue!” Zoran said impatiently. “It’s starting to get exciting!”
“Patients, Zoran,” Astro said to her. “Give her time, and she will continue.”
“My creator looked everywhere and probably has been traveling for years trying to find something that could awake me, until he found a small, mysterious jewel. That person then searched for this typical jewel in a certain book of jewels or gems. It was known to be called, an Adrenaline Jewel: an unknown jewel said to produce huge blasts of energy at once, and quickly.”
“That’s amazing!” Zoran exclaimed.
“I never heard of a jewel like that before,” Astro said, confused.
“That’s because this jewel is now extinct,” Zircon said to Astro. “It only existed till my creator was able to grasp it. I’m the only robot who has this jewel now.”
“How long ago did this jewel exist?” Doctor asked.”
“Who knows…I’ve only heard of it. A jewel this advanced couldn’t have originated here, but perhaps outer space.”
Doctor remembered what one of his scientists said: * If you ask me, the energy it uses might have originated from an unknown source. Ergo, it could have been from outer space.*
“Go on,” Doctor said.
“When my creator had the jewel, he took it back to the lab, and then inserted the jewel into my forehead. He then noticed that I wasn’t waking up. So, he had another idea in mind, by giving me some energy. By mistake, my creator gave me too much energy, and the jewel started to give off unstable force fields and sparks, all around me.” Astro and Zoran gasped.
“How could that person do such a thing to you like that?” Zoran asked.
“I don’t know,” Zircon said, looking about the room. “He gave it his all; for all I know, he could have given up on the project.” Astro, Zoran, and Dr. O’shay all gasped.

[tic_tac_astro]

This one's so short....
Chapter 5: Tenma’s Introduction

“That’s insane!” said Astro, acting frustrated. “How could you say that?” Zircon just closed her eyes and turned to the floor. “You know better that your creator has done what he can! Why can’t you respect that?”
“That’s because I’m only telling you what I thought happened,” Zircon opened her eyes and looked at Astro. “Only what I know about myself is true. The things about my creator probably aren’t.” She then stared at the floor again. “Besides, if it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be here today.” Astro crosses his arms and sighs.
“I guess,” he said. “Sorry for the outburst.” Zircon looked at him again and smiled softly. “It’s no big deal; the thought of what I said before the story might’ve slipped your mind.”
*I just don’t understand,* Doctor thought. *Why would a creator do something like that to a robot he wants to awaken?* Zircon continues.
“When I was going out of control, he was told, from other assistants, that this robot was considered to be too dangerous, so my creator had to give up on awaking me. In the end, I was shut down, and then was tossed into the ocean. At least I think that part was true…” Astro got up from the couch, and halfway raised his arms.
“Why would someone do that to you?” Zoran, Doctor and Zircon sat there stunned at Astro.
“Because from what my creator did, the jewel got in control, and started sparking and blasting huge ounces of energy, and the other scientists could’ve thought it was a malfunction,” Zircon replied. “They didn’t want to take the risk…My creator had no choice but to abandon the project.” Astro put his down his arms, and tilted his head down.
*I just don’t understand it,* he thought. *Though, it’s just a thought. Some parts couldn’t be true…* He then looked at her. *Zircon was the only project her creator had in mind of doing, and he had no choice but to give up?* Zircon wandered off in thought and started to visualize it: A close picture of Dr. Tenma’s face! Apparently, the image she came across was his shocked face after she saved him. She gasped, and the others noticed her.
“What’s wrong, Zircon?” Doctor asked. “I just remembered something…more like someone though,” Zircon said. Astro sat back down.
“Who is it?” he asked.
“I just had a vision showing someone’s face, but I can’t state the name,” Zircon said, a little confused.
“Can you describe it to us?” asked Zoran.
“Well, I believe this person had dark, black hair, a little bit close to spike hair in the front, and the same, yet smaller, on his chin.” Doctor, Astro, and Zoran looked at each other, thinking, and then they all yelled, “DR. TENMA!”

[tic_tac_astro]

Chapter 6: Astro’s Introduction

“Who’s Dr. Tenma?” Zircon asked. Doctor turned his head towards Zircon and says,
“Tenma was a robot engineer. Even though it’s been months since the robot law has passed, he’s still trying to get robots to rule over humans.” Astro and Zoran nodded to agree with Dr. O’shay.
“So that’s him,” Zircon said.
“It’s been months since he’s been trying to make it happen,” Astro said. “I don’t know why or how, but he all of a sudden gave up on not making me the king of all robots. For all I know, he could still make that happen.”
“What made him change his mind?” Zircon asked.
“We’re not sure,” Doctor said. “We’re still trying to figure that out.”
“Well, if I can remember,” Zircon started.
“What was it?” asked Astro.
“I believe he tried to awake me yesterday,”
“He did!?” the three yelled.
“Yeah,” Zircon continues. “I believe he found me near the bottom the ocean, and must’ve tried to awaken me then. When he awakened me, I went out of control because he also gave me too much energy. I had given off a little smile to him after I saved him a collapsing building, and for awaking me. Even though I was awakened and a bit off balance, the least I could’ve done was thank him.”
“You’re wrong, Zircon.” Doctor said.
“But, Doctor,” she cuts in. “He still awakened me; other than my creator, who shut me down, and dumped me into the ocean –" Doctor clutched his hands and bangs them on the table.
“No! You mustn’t thank him! He may be someone who may have helped you, but I don’t trust him, and you shouldn’t either!” Zircon was stunned and tilted her head down.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t know; it’s just that I feel ‘new’ and I still don’t understand the background of the people here…” Doctor got up from his chair, walked over to Zircon and put his hand on her shoulder.
“I apologize,” he said. “It’s alright. I forgot that you don’t know the whole story; it’s just that there’s a huge problem between Tenma and me.” Zircon looked up at Doctor as he continues on.
“Let’s just say that Tenma and I are, enemies,”
“How?” she asked. Doctor turned around then slowly walked towards the middle of the room.
“Well, we started acting as enemies all because of Astro.” Zircon turned to look at Astro.
“What’s so important about him?” she asked. “Tenma created him, and by the time people found out the robot was going to be considered ‘dangerous’, he had to shut all of his experiments down and destroy whatever he can just so he wouldn’t expect others would find any possible data.”
*Just like me…* she thought. “But what happened to Astro?”
“Astro was found, locked up in a capsule. Somebody had to bring it back to life, so I took the job.” Doctor looked at his watch.
“Listen, it’s getting late, we need to get to bed so we can show you around Metro City tomorrow.” Astro and Zircon managed to say “Okay” right after they saw Zoran head up the stairs, feeling tired. Before Astro and Zircon went upstairs, Doctor stops Zircon.
“Zircon, Astro and I have been pondering,” he starts. “When we have guests over, we would have them sleep in a guest bed. That’s why I ordered a guest bed for you to sleep in a few days ago. It had just arrived this morning, and it’s in Astro’s room. It’s the first door on your left.” Zircon smiled happily.
“Thank you, Doctor! You’re the only person I know so far who is truly nice to robots!” Doctor smiled as Zircon went up the stairs. Astro stopped at the foot of the stairs and turned to Doctor.
“She sure does have a pure heart, doesn’t she?” he asked.
“I agree,” Doctor replied. “Feeling alive and well, I believe she’s going to like it here.”

[tic_tac_astro]

Chapter 7: Zircon’s stay/World Tour

When Astro was heading up the stairs and into his bedroom, he noticed Zircon sitting on the side of the guest bed staring at the floor.
“What’s wrong, Zircon?” he asked. “Aren’t you glad that Doctor said you can stay here?”
“Yeah, but,” Zircon said.
“But?”
“Well, I understood what Doctor said about Dr. Tenma, but what if he comes after me?”
“What do you mean?” Astro asked.
“I just have this fear; after what he saw of me after the destruction I caused, could he use my power for his own?”
“Why would you say that?” he asked. “It’s not something to worry about for now.”
“That’s probably true when you say it,” Zircon said. “I’m the one he’s after; If Dr. Tenma does this, it might be the end for me.” Astro noticed that a tear dropped from Zircon face, then sighed.
“So, you are serious about this,” he said, carefully.
“What am I going to do?” she asked. Astro walked across the room to sit down on Zircon’s bed, and then put both hands on both of her shoulders.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “Everything will be alright. Besides, we’re going to show you around Metro City, so try to not focus on the problem. Your problem may come true, but don’t let it ruin your day tomorrow. Remember, we’re all doing our best to help you.”
“I understand,” Zircon said, wiping the tear off her face.
“Alright,” said Astro. “Now, let’s go to sleep. We’ve got a big day ahead of us tomorrow.” Zircon’s frown turned into a soft smile.
“Thanks Astro,” she said. “That really meant a lot to me.” Astro took his hands off of Zircon’s shoulders, and then smiles.
“I’m glad we got that of the way,” he said.

The next morning, Zircon woke up happy as ever. From what Astro told her yesterday, she mostly forgot everything about what Tenma might do to her. She then headed downstairs, dressed, and noticed that Astro, Zoran, and Doctor were already downstairs, awake before her. “Good morning,” they all said. Zircon smiles happily. “Did you sleep well last night?” Doctor asked. “Yes,” she said. “I haven’t had any bad dreams either.” Astro smiled.
“Well, are you ready to go?” Astro asked. Zircon happily closed her eyes, smiling.
“Yes,” she replied, and then looked at Doctor and Zoran. “Well, what are you waiting for? Let’s get going!” Doctor and Zoran looked at each other and gave out a little laugh.
“Alright,” Doctor said. “We’re not in a hurry; we’re just waiting for you to wake up, so we could all leave.” Zircon’s hands were balled into fists shaking rapidly.
“Doctor, let’s go before she blows a gasket.” Astro said laughing. Doctor looks at Zircon.
“Alright then, let’s go!”

[tic_tac_astro]

Chapter 8: New Friends

The four gathered into the air car and left the house. Zircon and Zoran gazed out the car window in the back seat.
“Wow,” Zircon said, smiling. “I never knew the city would be this large.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” Astro said. “There’s plenty to explore here, including places even I haven’t explored yet.”
“Oh!” Doctor said, surprised. “I almost forgot about your enrollment in Astro’s school tomorrow. Listen, I’ll drop you, Astro, and Zoran off at Central City to look around, while I shop for your supplies. However, this Monday is the last day of the school year, so hopefully I can spend the weekend shopping early for next year.” The others happily said, “Okay” just before the air car landed. Astro, Zoran, and Zircon waved at Dr. O’shay when he headed into Central City’s marketplace.

“Okay, Zircon,” Astro starts. “We’ll show you around Central City as your first destination. For tomorrow, you’ll be in for big surprise.” Zircon turned towards Astro.
“What do you mean, ‘big surprise’?” she asked. Astro laughed.
“It’s a surprise; you’ll find out tomorrow.” While the three were walking about Central City, they all heard a few voices coming from behind.
“Hey, Astro!” The three turned around to see. Alejo, who yelled, Kennedy, and Abercrombie appeared from behind, running towards Astro, Zoran, and Zircon.
“I’d never thought you’d be here!” Kennedy yelled. Abercrombie didn’t say anything, until he noticed that another robot was standing next to Zoran, and then he yelled.
“Hey, who’s that?!” he asked yelling, and also ran behind Kennedy. “Oh, this is Zircon,” Zoran replied. “She’s a robot we found in front of our house. She was shut down when we found her.” Astro’s friends looked at Zircon closely.
“Guys, don’t crowd her,” Astro holds his hands up halfway. “She’s not known with the people here yet.”
“What’s that jewel on her head?” Kennedy asked. Zircon touched the jewel softly on her head.
“This is an Adrenaline Jewel,” she said, smiling softly. “It contains a specific energy that is needed for my survival. Therefore, it’s not the kind of energy that awakens other robots.” Astro’s friends gasped except for Kennedy. He was thinking about Zircon’s crash landing.
“Zircon,” he said. “How did you end up on Dr. O’shay’s lawn?” Zircon was shocked. She put her hands over her ears and closed her eyes.
“Please don’t ask me that!” she retorted. “I don’t want it to ruin my day today!” Kennedy put one of his hands behind his head.
“Oh, sorry,” he said.
“It’s alright. You can ask her some other time,” Astro said. “Right now, we’re just showing her around the city.”
“Anyway, what are you guys doing here?” Alejo asked.
“We’re waiting for Dr. O’shay,” Zircon said. “He’s in Central City shopping for supplies.”
“Who is he buying them for?” Abercrombie asked.
“They’re for Zircon,” Zoran said. “She’s going to be a new student at school”
“Don’t you think it’s a bit late for that?” Alejo asked. “The last day’s Monday.”
“Yeah, that’s true,” said Astro. “But why wait? Everyone has to be ready for the new school year at some time. And besides, Dr. O’shay will probably be busy over the summer.”
“Yeah, you have a point,” Abercrombie said.
After about an hour of showing Zircon around Central City, Kennedy looks at his watch. “Oh! I almost forgot!” he said. “Astro, we have a Rocket Ball game on the practice court at three.”
“Thanks for reminding me,” Astro said.
“What’s Rocket Ball?” Zircon asked.
“Rocket Ball is a futuristic ball game which the objective is to get the ball into the goal,” Alejo said.
“But, you have to do it while you’re in roller blades,” Abercrombie said.
“That sounds awesome even though I never played it before,” Zircon says smiling. “Can I play?”
“Well,” Kennedy said thinking. “We could use another player, since I believe the other team has one more player than us.” Abercrombie nudged him.
“Don’t tell me a girl is going to join our team!” he whispered.
“Oh shove it, Abercrombie,” Kennedy counters. “You always think girls are not the same as us. Is that it or do you think Zircon will ruin our game?” Abercrombie groans. “Listen,” Kennedy begins. “We’re talking about Zircon here. She’s an advanced robot with A.I. just like Astro! I’ll bet you anything that she can help win this game for us!” Abercrombie turns his head elsewhere.
“Forget the bet; I just have doubts,” he says. Kennedy grins and turns towards Zircon.
“So, are you up for it?” he asked. Zircon smiles and accepts.
“I’ll do what I can,” she said.
“We have to go, Astro,” Alejo said, pointing his thumb in the other direction.
“Alright,” Astro said. Zircon and I will meet you guys at the court later.”
“Okay, see you guys there!” Kennedy yelled, and Astro’s friends ran out of Central City. Astro looked at Zircon.
“I can’t believe they let you join the team,” he said.
“I know,” Zircon replied. “I just hope I don’t let you guys down; I mean I never played before.” Zoran looked at her.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “I just know you’ll do fine. Just do your best.” Digesting those words, Zircon softly smiled once more.

[tic_tac_astro]

Chapter 9: Game, Anyone?

After half an hour has passed, Dr. O’shay appeared out of Central City, holding a bag of supplies.
“Alright, you three, I have the supplies,” he said. “Zircon, did you enjoy your adventure of Central City?” Zircon smiled.
“Of course, Doctor,” she said. “We’ll show you other parts of the city tomorrow,” Astro said. Zircon turned her head and noticed bunch of roller coasters and the Ferris wheel from afar.
“Is that the Amusement Park?” she pointed.
“Yeah,” Zoran said. “That place is filled with rides and attractions that tons people enjoy; that’s what makes it fun!”
“But that can wait until tomorrow,” Doctor said.
“You mean we’re going there tomorrow?” Zircon asked. “Of course; why do you ask?” She shrugged.
“No special reason,” she said, and then looked at Astro. “So this is what you mean by ‘big surprise’,” she grinned. Astro laughed.
“I tried to keep it secret, didn’t I?” he asked. *I can’t wait until tomorrow!* she thought. *All of those rides look so cool; I feel like going on them now!*
Doctor looked at his watch and realized it was almost 3 P.M.
“Astro,” he said. “I believe you should get going; you don’t want to miss your Rocket Ball game.”
“Alright,” Astro said. “I also need to bring Zircon.” Doctor was a bit puzzled.
“Oh? Why do you need to bring her?”
“She’s going to be a new player on our team, since the other team has a new player, too.”
“Well, alright then,” Doctor said. “Go ahead, Zircon. I hope you’ll do well, and please be careful.”
“I’ll try my best, Doctor,” she said. “And I will.”
“Good luck, guys!” Zoran said. “Hope you win!” Doctor and Zoran waved, got into the air car, and left Central City.

“Let’s get going; I’ll carry you there,” Astro said.
“It’s alright, you don’t need to,” she replied. Now Astro was puzzled, but he knew where she was getting at.
“Oh, are you a flyer?” he asked. Zircon nodded.
“It’s hard to tell since there isn’t anything on me that could enable flight; however, my jewel can do that.”
Using the power from the Adrenaline Jewel, Zircon instantly floated in midair.
“Wow,” Astro said surprised, but he then appeared worried.
“That’s great, but don’t you get tired if you used too much power from that jewel on flying?”
“Oh no, flying is nothing,” Zircon said. ”If I were to carry something through levitation it would tire me depending on the duration. Strength won’t affect it.”
“Okay, I understand,” Astro said, as he also started to fly in midair.
“Let’s get to the practice court; our friends are waiting.”
“I have friends?” Zircon asked.
“Yeah,” Astro said. “By the looks of what they said that you can join our team, I believe they’re your friends now, since they also know a little about you.”
“Thanks, Astro; that means a lot to me,” Zircon says smiling. Astro had nothing else to say, but instead he just smiled and blushes. Astro and Zircon then continues on their way to the practice court.

[tic_tac_astro]

Chapter 10: A Bet?

On their way to the practice court, Zircon noticed something swift passed her while flying, and it landed on top of the Eagle-shaped building. She looked closely at the figure, and noticed a person with black, almost spiky hair on its head, and its chin. She gasped.
“Zircon, are you all right?” Astro asked her. Zircon turned her head towards Astro; she just smiled as if it were nothing.
“Nah, it was probably nothing; it might’ve been a bird or something.”
It was almost 3 o’ clock when Astro and Zircon arrived at the practice court. Astro’s friends and the other team were already there.
“Hey guys! Glad you could make it!” Alejo said, yelling from across the court.
“Hey!” The captain said from the other team stepped out from the other side of the court. “What’s she doing here?”
“She’s here to play Rocket Ball,” Kennedy said. The captain wasn’t very surprised.
“Girls can’t play.”
“What do you mean, she can’t play?” Alejo asked.
“It’s likely to know that girls never play manly sports like this!” One of his teammates stood beside him and pointed at her.
“I have to agree; aren’t you afraid you’ll break a nail?” he said. The whole team laughed while Zircon stared at the floor offended.
“Hey!” Astro said, walking up to the team captain while standing in front of Zircon. “There’s no rule in any sport that girls are restricted to play! Rocket Ball is a team sport, and anyone can play it!” Astro’s friends cheered and Zircon looked up and smiled softly. The team captain just rubbed his nose.
“Well now; you say they can while I say they can’t. I’m telling you girls are a problem in sports! There are so many reasons why!”
“Everyone is different, you know,” Astro said. “No one is the same.”
“That’s not true!”
“Say that all you want; I know you can’t prove it! Besides, we needed an extra player. You expect this game to be fair with four against five?” The captain thought for a second.
“We’ll take our chances,” He grinned. “That previous response sounded like a wager, don’t you think? Here’s my wager; if my team wins, she must never play Rocket Ball again!” Both teams gasped except for the team’s captain and Astro. Tension was building inside of him while the captain laughed.
“What’s with the grudge? You’re not afraid, are you?” he asked. Astro broke his rising tension.
“No way,” he said. “I’d never back out of something like this. If our team wins, admit that Rocket Ball is a sport for anyone’s play!”
“Fine by me; let’s shake on it to make it official.” He says extending his arm. Astro’s tension was rising again; a thought in his mind kept saying something was going to go horribly wrong. Kennedy butts in.
“Can I have a word with Astro?” Astro follows Kennedy to an open space of the court.
“Astro, do you know what you’re doing? I understand the bet, but you seem unsure about all of this.”
“I am,” Astro said. “The whole thing seems hopeless; something in the back of my mind is itching to tell me something was wrong from the start.”
“I know what you mean,” Alejo cuts in. “I felt it too; however, we won’t know what will happen until we find out for ourselves. If we lose or if you don’t agree, we would’ve lost the bet either way.” Astro thought for a second.
“You’re right; we’ll have to take the bet,” he said. “We’re doing this for Zircon; hopefully we’ll try the best we can no matter if we win or lose.” The other two nodded and they all walked back to the center court.
“Okay, the bet is on, but I’m only doing this for Zircon.” Zircon overheard and was surprised from what he said, and then smiled. Astro then shook hands with the team captain, and they both partly smiled. *Excellent,* he thought. *Just you wait, Zircon. Win or lose, you’ll be in for a big surprise.* His fingers were crossed behind his back when they shook!