A Week-Reno-End
A Reno/Astro fan fiction
Preface: Astro's first meeting with Atlas becomes a weekend with Reno.
Friday
2pm
Ministry of Science, Downtown Metro City Japan
"So...you're coming next month? What's the occasion?" Reno asked Abby as he sat at his work bench tinkering with a Shielding Ion encoder for a J.M.S.D.F. Radar array.
"A trade renewal conference between Mayori, Japan and South Korea. We want to negotiate a new co-operation pact for Cybernetic Reacher Units. Do you have anything planned next month?" Abby asked.
"If I'm lucky? No, but Doctor O'Shay always finds ways to keep me gainfully useful around here so..."
Suddenly the door to Reno's apartment sounded like it had been kicked in and Reno turned in his chair to see Abercrombie Finch and Alegio Higaldo coming into the room carrying someone between them...
"Reno! We need help!" Alegio yelped.
"Abby? I'll call you back..." Reno hung the phone up and gasped when he saw the boys were carrying Astro.
"Shoot! Put him right here!" Reno yelped as he cleaned off a section of a work table and helped the boys lay Astro down...
"Hey Astro...it's Reno...can you hear me?" Reno asked as he gave Astro a quick look over.
"I got his right arm." Alegio said as he pulled Astro's severed limb out of his book bag.
"Astro? Talk to me?" Reno said as he lightly patted Astro's face..."Oh man, he's screwed up...what happened?"
Abercrombie stood pursing his lips. "This jerk just jumped us. We were walking to the tree house and this red colored kid with blonde hair comes out of no where and starts a rash of trash with us! Next thing you know he's whaling on Astro and it's on."
"He really beat Astro up bad..." Alejio said shaking. "He said his name was Atlas. He called Astro a traitor and said he was going to make him an example."
Reno checked Astro's undamaged eye then gave him a light shaking..."Astro? Come on, answer up and let me know you're not seriously hurt?"
Astro looked back at Reno and smiled..."I bit him on the nose...got in some good shots."
"Yeah..."Reno replied. "You lost your arm."
"I didn't say I was perfect." Astro replied.
"He's not going to die is he?" Abercrombie asked as Reno went around his apartment grabbing up tools.
"Robots don't die unless their processor is destroyed but this guy did a number on you Astro." Reno said as he started examining Astro's body. "What did this robot look like again?"
Alejio replied. "Well he was a kid, about Astro's size, red skin, blonde or yellow hair and he was about as strong as Astro and man...he was absolutely ruthless. He even grabbed Kennedy and threw him so hard that he caused him to sprain his ankle."
"Then he broke open Astro's chest door...just ripped it open and pointed am arm cannon into it..."
Reno froze..."Arm cannon? This robot has arm cannons?"
"He has a big stupid mouth." Astro said weakly.
"He had enough to beat the snot out of you." Reno replied as he thumped a finger off Astro's forehead. "I'll worry about this other bot later...right now we need to fix you up so you can take him on again if you have too."
"I think today was enough fun." Astro snorted.
Reno looked back at the other two boys..."Guys? Relax. He's going to be ok. So did anyone hear anything rattling inside Astro when you carried him?"
"I always rattle." Astro said smirking. "I think he busted everything loose though. I'd give you a hand but Alejio stole it."
"Well...bad sense of humor still intact anyway." Reno said as he pulled Astro's torn up moon boots off and looked over the legs. "Shot through both engines...that's about 200 grand a piece for replacement."
"Put it on my Master Card." Astro giggled.
"This isn't funny bolt bucket." Reno snorted. "You're supposed to get away from fights if possible."
"Well he was kind of beyond the possible. Like fighting a cat." Astro replied. "Right guys?"
"He was very fast." Alejio chimed. "Not to mention, in my technical observation, very advanced. I was...well? I was sort of in awe."
"Sheesh...now I feel jilted." Astro huffed as Reno detached Astro's chest door.
"That's another 70 grand for the door." Reno said as he probed Astro's insides. "Good...the reactor casing's fine...but you're right Astro, he practically broke all the mountings with those punches of his and he dented your casing pretty good."
"What I don't understand is why he didn't blast into Astro's body when he had the chance?" Abercrombie said. "I mean he just looked Astro over when he was on top of em and then he stood up and left. He kept saying he was going to destroy Astro right in front of us."
Reno patted Astro's head. "Did he say anything?" He asked.
"If you don't change your ways with humans...next time you will die and I will hold your broken carcass for all the humans to cry over." Astro said. "He actually sounded like a stupid moron. Where did he get all these one liners from? A dumb Saturday Morning cartoon?"
Reno snickered. "You're one to blab there oh "Rocket Ranger" He detached one lower leg at a time from Astro's body and placed the damaged engines on another table. "I'll see if I can salvage any parts from those." He then returned to detach the lower half of Astro's body from the electro-magnetic locks that held it fast to the upper portion. Placing it on another table standing on the stubs of the upper legs.
"This is starting to gross me out." Abercrombie said with a puckered mouth.
"He's a robot Abercrombie?" Alejio said as he walked up to lean against the working table. "Just so you know, Ken has a wrenched ankle but he promises he'll tell his mom he got hurt playing soccer."
"Now hold on?" Reno replied frowning. "If that robot hurt Ken then he's a dangerous threat and the police have to be called, that's the law."
Astro reached out and took Reno's hand..."No...it was an accident. Atlas didn't "chuck" Ken, he pushed him aside to get at me. If he was really a threat? Ken would have been worse off. No, don't you call Inspector Towashi. Last thing we need is him...I can handle Atlas."
Reno shook his head. "I don't think we should ignore it Astro..."
"I'm tired..." Astro replied. "Can I go to bed?"
Reno looked at Abercrombie and Alejio. "You guys should go home, I got Astro, he's in good hands."
Alejio patted Astro on the shoulder..."Call us when you're back up ok?"
Astro nodded and closed his one eye as Reno used a USB attached control pad to "put him to sleep" actually shutting down a few systems that would mimic sleep yet allow Astro to remain aware...
"I'm downloading all his memories from today so I can get a look at this other robot." Reno said as he passed the two boys to get to his lap top. "You guys really can go you know? Astro's not in any danger so stop hanging around. I can't work with too many people flocking in my apartment."
Abercrombie looked around and smirked. "Looks like my room, a complete Titanic."
"I'll clean it when I get a chance." Reno replied. "Which is usually never." He tapped a few keys on his lap top and the first images of the belligerent robot popped up. "Wow...you were not kidding about looking powerful. He's got serious hate in his eyes."
Alejio pointed to the screen then to Astro as he lay on the table. "I'd say pound for pound they're about equally matched. Call me silly but they almost look the same."
"Maybe." Reno replied. "But impossible. Astro's unique, he's the only robot of his kind Tenma ever built."
"Then someone scoffed the plans." Alejio replied. "Same arm cannons, same body size, even the faces look alike if you took away the hair. If Atlas had whipped out cannons from his butt,we'd know for sure."
Reno sat back in his chair. "Well where this one comes from is not my worry right now. I've got at least three hours of work to get Astro back on his feet and I don't want to be still turning a wrench at 1 am if mister lobster here decides to go on a city wide rampage. So guys? Like I asked you? Go home?"
"Red Lobster." Abercrombie snickered. "We should call him that. Maybe he'll get so upset that Astro will have an advantage?" The bigger boy looked at the other two..."Just coming up with suggestions ok?"
Reno got up and urged the other two out the door..."Will you guys go already and let me work?"
7pm...
Astro slowly opened his eyes to see Reno waving a hand held heat gun over his stomach..."Yawn..." "Hi." The boy bot said softly. "How long was I out of it?"
"Five hours." Reno replied as he placed the heat gun on a rolling tray table. "Come on...sit up."
Astro sat and looked himself over..."Hmmm...nice job again. How much did it cost?"
"You shouldn't worry over that." Reno replied waving a hand.
"Reno? How much did it cost?" Astro urged.
"Sigh"...300 grand." Reno replied. "Now look...don't beat yourself up over it ok? The ministry always covers your repairs."
Astro felt he'd personally let Doctor O'Shay down. He always did every time he ended up broke and the cause to him was so stupid...
Reno took him by the hands and held his arms out. "Come on pouty puss, you know the drill?" Reno commanded. "Shake your arms?"
Astro snorted. "This is so stupid. A diagnostic would be less trouble."
"Do you want me to smack you with a stun paddle?" Reno huffed. "Shake those arms you silly brat."
Astro shook his arms.
"Now wiggle the fingers?"
Astro wiggled his fingers.
"Kick the legs?"
Astro kicked his legs.
"Now...come off the table and walk around?"
Astro slipped off the table and walked.
"Now...skip around the apartment?"
Astro contorted his face. "What?"
"I said...skip around the apartment." Reno commanded. "What? You don't know how to skip?"
"This is silly." Astro snorted.
"Astro? You skip or you get paddled, which one?" Reno snarled.
"You can't spank me." Astro groaned. "I'll call C.P.S. On you dufus."
Reno snatched up an electrically charged paddle..."One?...Two?..."
Astro started to skip and hop around the apartment as Reno stood smirking at him...
"Hey Astro?" Reno asked the boy bot.
"Huh?" Astro replied as he skipped.
"Just curious? What would you be doing right now instead of skipping around like a little girl?" Reno laughed and cowarded as Astro turned and slapped him off the back...
"JERK! UGH! I hate you sometimes Reno!" The boy bot snapped. "I feel miserable and you make fun of me!"
"Hey...hey...calm down Astro..." Reno gestured. "I'm sorry, I was trying to lighten you up."
Astro stood with his arms crossed. "What did I do to that Atlas? He hates the whole world. I tried to talk to him Reno and he called me some of the worst things I've ever been called."
"I know..." Reno replied as he rubbed Astro's shoulders. "And you're not a single one of them you hear me? Obviously this bot's got a serious grudge going on and he's looking for outlets to take it too and you just happen to be on his menu."
"Sigh"...Astro slackened as he felt Reno's hand..."And you're nothing of what he said about humans...I got so angry because every time he opened his stupid trap, I felt he was insulting you."
Reno turned Astro around and wrapped his arms around him..."Hmph...bring the creep over and I'll show him how terrible I can be. Look...I have the weekend totally free, why don't you spend it here? We haven't had time together in like months and I need to deflate from work. I'll call the Doctor and let him know you're staying. How about it?"
Astro gave Reno a tight hug back..."I like it a lot." He said as he snuggled Reno's chest. "Hey?! Have you eaten yet?" Astro asked smiling.
"No." Reno replied shaking his head.
"Let me cook for you?" Astro begged. "Please? I'll cook anything you want, just ask."
"You don't have too." Reno replied.
"Yes...I do have to." Astro snorted. "You have a very unhealthy diet to start with anyway. Do you want to die by 18 years old of heart failure? You have a pathetic junk food diet Reno, how do you stay skinny as a stick?"
"Keeping up with your plastic butt." Reno snickered back.
Astro snatched the boy engineer off his feet and carried him to a sofa chair. "Then my plastic butt is going to spoil you. No more touching tools tonight." Astro dropped Reno in the chair and pushed his finger into the teen's nose. "Now? I'm gonna cook and you are going to sit and behave yourself or?... I'll introduce you to a duck tape strait jacket."
Astro stood back tapping his head as he searched the internet for ideas..."Ah! This one looks good."
"What are you gonna make?" Reno asked.
"Nunya Biz Nooz bento." Astro snorted back. "Stay in that chair. What do you want to drink?"
"Soda I guess." Reno replied.
"How about water?" Astro said as he walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge..."Wow! Actual food! I'm so shocked!" The boy bot yelped as he started pulling food from the fridge and cabinets. "Don't you drink water? Red Bull? Are you trying to burn holes in yourself or what?"
"Do you have to be so critical?" Reno snorted.
Astro placed a cup in Reno's hand, poured some water and squeezed a lemon. "There...you don't need stupid Red Bull."
Reno turned in his chair to watch Astro prepare dinner. "You know I'm not very spice tolerant?"
"I promise I'm not making fire chili." Astro replied. "You'll like it...my cooking skills have advanced a lot in a month."
"You're not listening to Zoran?" Reno snickered.
"I'll tell her what you said and you can deal with the pocket rage." Astro replied waving a knife. "Actually? Zoran's doing fantastic in Kindergarten cooking class. She made Yonginiko with a sweet mint sauce and the Principle invited her to cook for his daughter's wedding."
"She must have been zooming up ten miles after that." Reno said smiling.
"I haven't heard the end of it." Astro said as he ran a mixer. "Come to think of it? You need to start cooking yourself instead of eating processed garbage. How else are you going to attract a girl friend?"
"What is it with you wanting to play " " for me all the time?" Reno asked as Astro went between making dinner and cleaning dishes...
"Is there something wrong with me wanting my "best-us friend" to be happy?" Astro asked.
"I'll find a girl when I'm ready." Reno said pursing his lips. "When I have the time. Right now my work is more important as is getting accepted to a University."
"Like no one would dare not accept you." Astro said frowning. "And if they did? I can be a little persuasive."
"I want no one's help." Reno said waving a hand. "I have to do all this on my own. It's why my robot parents brought me up the way they did."
With the food cooking and the dishes done, Astro walked into the living room and sat on the couch. "How are they any way? It's been a while."
"They're in California doing a benefit performance in San Diego at the Children's hospital there. Jelly Bean called me last night, they're all fine. There was something the Doc and I were talking about yesterday though...it might be a little sensitive for you to think about." Reno said as he turned on the television.
"Sensitive?" Astro asked as he walked to the kitchen to check on the food.
"Well...the Doc is getting up in age you know and he's considering retirement in a few years. We were talking that you and Zoran need a more natural and stable home life so...what would you think about having parents?" Reno asked.
"Huh? A Mom and Dad?" Astro replied.
"Yeah..." Reno said as he walked over to the kitchen. "Me and the Doc would build them and you and Zoran would tell us what you want. Sort of like that old movie "The Electric Grandma"
"With Ed Herman." Astro replied. "That would be Dad...no wait...I have a Dad already."
"Tenma is anything but your father." Reno snorted. "How can you even think he's your father after all the ways he abused you?"
"I still love him." Astro replied. "He made me, he gave me...well...can't exactly call programming "life" but...well, I'm beholden to him no matter how mean he was. How would he feel if I just suddenly introduced "Dad"..."Hey Dad? This is my Dad? It would be like...bizaro...awkward...as if I betrayed him."
Reno shook his head. "You make everything so complex."
"Lady Gaga." Astro said smiling.
"What about her?" Reno asked.
"Mom." Astro said with a wider smile.
"No! You are sick! You are screw loose sick in the stupid head!" Reno snapped. "I'm not putting a freak show in a robot body."
"Geee...I thought it way me and my Sister's choice?" Astro groaned.
"I didn't say choice were to be insane." Reno snorted. "That's a great combination? Ed Herman and Lady Gaga."
"It would provide for...an exotic and interesting home life?" Astro snickered as he went to the oven range and started pulling food off and out. "Besides...Zoran is a Gaga-phile and after she got to meet her personally? I know she would chose Gaga as our Mom. In reality out of costume and show, she's very nice and very smart."
"I was hoping you'd consider more "conservative" kinds of parents." Reno said as Astro prepared him a plate of food.
"I want our house to be happy and exciting Reno...not a set from Fox News." Astro snorted as he put a plate before Reno and went to the fridge for a can of STP motor oil. "So...this is...Yakatobaniko... soba noodles...strips of baked Salmon with maple glaze...white rice and steamed cucumbers."
Astro watched as Reno took the first bite and his face reflected a sudden pleasantness... "Oh...my...gawd..."
"Well?" Astro begged. "Is it good?"
Reno bobbed his head..."Astro? How? How did you get it like this? This is scratch isn't it? You didn't even look up a recipe did you?"
"No." Astro replied. "I told you my cooking skills have improved."
"Improved?" Reno said waving a hand..."Improved nothing! This is perfect! Everything's different but the taste and the spices are just...oh my gawd...you need to write a cook book!"
"You think so?" Astro asked.
"Yeah I think so! Tell me you can make a desert too?" Reno begged.
"Oh...you have to pull my leg don't you?" Astro giggled as he walked to the fridge and pulled out a classic ice cream glass..."Tadah! Feast the eyes on the glorious gooy-ness. I call it "Astro seven steps to sugary hell." or "Chocolate Iceberg collision." or...whatever name you can give it if you survive half a scoop of it."
Reno shook his head. "You never cease to surprise me Astro."
"It's an art form." Astro replied. Suddenly the television caught his attention and he ran to a slide before the monitor...
"Oh guess what?" The boy bot huffed.
"Is it that Atlas brat?" Reno asked.
"Who else?" Astro snorted as he ran to open the picture window in Reno's apartment. "Looks like he did something at Tokugawa's factory complex. You enjoy your dinner and I'll be right back."
As Astro hopped onto the window sill, Reno ran up and grabbed his hand. "No stupid heroics. If you can avoid a fight with him? Avoid it?"
Astro nodded back and jumped into flight, vanishing in a blur of blue light into the distance towards the Industrial district.
End of part 1