Real Boy
Part 5
by Mara (talitha_shipman at tayloru.edu)
10/3/01
Rusty woke with a start. He had been dreaming, he thought.
There had been an impossibly high cliff, and he had been climbing it,
only to end up no closer to the top. It had been a scary dream, and
frustrating too. He sat up in bed to survey his surroundings. He
didn’t quite remember where he was. He was in a small room with
metal walls and several bunks pushed up against the wall. He was in
one of the bottom bunks. The room was dark, save for a warm light
that poured through a half open door. The muffled sound of quiet
conversation drifted through the door. Then it came back to him.
He and Dr. Slate and Lt. Dwayne had been on their way to the Dark
Horse. He guessed that they must be there right now. Rusty also
realized that he was hungry. But before he could get up the voice
spoke to him. He was used to it by now. He even thought he might
have heard the voice in his dream. The voice called to him, and he
answered it in his mind. The voice made one very simple statement.
"They’re coming," it said.
Rusty frowned in the dark. "Who’s coming?"
"Our creators. They wish to meet you."
Rusty smiled. "I would like to meet them too. I’m sure they
are as nice as you."
The voice seemed to be happy with that. "We are glad that we
found a suitable host. After all these years, you were the first to
truly meet our needs." Tendrils of warm feelings seemed to shine
out of the voice and wrap around Rusty. The voice had been very
lonely, he realized.
Rusty smiled once again at the probe voice. "I’m a pretty
darn good boy rob... I mean just boy now, I guess." Rusty looked
crestfallen as he remembered all he had lost.
"You will like being a boy better. You can grow up to be
like Lt. Hunter."
"Huh?" Rusty was confused at the voice’s response.
"What we mean is that you will grow; all human children
someday become adults. We are betting that you will be much like
Lt. Hunter."
"Why?" Rusty was very confused now.
"Because," the voice paused for a second, thinking over its
next words, "because you are derived from him. We used his DNA to
make you. We used the female’s DNA as well."
"You mean Dr. Slate," Rusty said.
"Yes. Do you understand?"
"Yeah. So, that means that Dr. Slate and Lt. Hunter are my
mom and dad?"
"Yes, you are very smart."
"Dr. Slate told me about DNA once. It makes up all living
things."
"Most living things," the probe corrected. "Our people do
not possess DNA."
"Oh, and that’s who’s coming."
"Yes."
"Can you tell me more about them?" Rusty asked.
"Soon you will meet them, and they will tell you all about
themselves. They are very nice."
"Rusty?" The quiet question from the door scared away the
voice. "Are you awake?"
Rusty saw the door swing open to reveal Dr. Slate. A warm
smile came to her face when she saw Rusty sitting up in bed. "I
came to check on you."
"I’m fine, but you scared the voice away." Rusty watched
Dr. Slate with wide eyes as she came across the room and sat down on
the bunk.
"I’m sorry. What did the voice say to you?" Dr. Slate’s
face was concerned, and Rusty could sense that she didn’t like it
when he talked about the voice. It scared her a lot.
"Don’t worry, mom. It likes you."
"Huh?" Dr. Slate seemed surprised at his statement.
"You’re my mom. Did you know that?" Rusty grabbed one of
Dr. Slate’s hands and held on to it.
Dr. Slate gave him a strange look that almost seemed sad.
"Yes, I know. You have my nose." She reached out almost as if she
was afraid to touch him and stroked his hair. "And you’re a
redhead, just like Dwayne."
"I know that, too. The voice told me. It says I’m smart."
"Dr. Slate’s sad smile melted into a genuine laugh. "Well,
the probe is certainly right about that." Dr. Slate paused and then
took a deep breath. "Rusty, I’m glad that you are a real boy now.
I hope you don’t mind."
Rusty smiled. "I’m glad too. It means that I can grow and
get bigger. I never would have been able to do that if I stayed a
robot." His expression soured somewhat. "But I sure will miss
being Big Guy’s sidekick. I’ll miss Big Guy. He’s the only friend
I’ve got."
Dr. Slate smiled once again, and the elusive secret almost
seemed to pass close enough to her mental barrier for him to grab
onto. But then it was gone. Dr. Slate tucked it into the back of
her mind, carefully guarding it from her new son.
"I think, Rusty, that you have more friends than you realize."
Rusty looked up into Dr. Slate’s eyes. She was crying.
"Dr. Slate, is something wrong?
Ericka smiled through the tears. "No, Rusty, I’m happy.
Sometimes people cry because they are full of joy and not sadness.
I’m just so happy to finally have you."
Rusty gave Ericka a big hug. "But didn’t you have me before?"
"No, not like now." Her face became serious. "And I want
you to know that I’ll always be there for you. Okay?"
"Okay, Dr. Slate."
"Rusty, you can call me Mom all the time."
Dwayne sat on the edge of the aircraft carrier’s plane
elevator and dangled his feet over a 200-foot drop to the still
waters of the harbor. Jo, who had returned from Quark earlier in
the evening, sat next to him.
"So," she said, "Let’s see if I’ve got this right. The
probe used you and the Doc to make Rusty into a real boy. And so,
technically that makes you Rusty’s dad. Of course," Jo added,
"without all the fun stuff that results in the kid." She smirked
and ribbed Dwayne, trying to make him laugh. The whole pit crew
knew that Dwayne had a long-standing crush on the dark-haired
scientist. "What’s your problem, Dwayne? Usually you would at least
give me some kind of sarcastic retort."
Dwayne sighed and looked out over the lights of Newtronic
City. "Jo, I just discovered that I am a dad. I don’t know how to
feel right now."
Jo smiled in an understanding way. The pit crew knew each
other pretty well. Jo was betting that Dwayne didn’t want another
responsibility on top of the others he already had. "It’s not like
you asked for this, Dwayne. I don’t really think that anyone
expects you to adopt him."
Dwayne surprised her with his answer. "No, Rusty is and
always has been my responsibility. General Thorton put me in charge
of him."
"So it’s not a question of responsibility?"
"No."
"Well, then what is your problem?"
"Jo," Dwayne paused to take a deep breath. "I’m scared.
It’s a lot easier to raise a kid if he just happens to be a robot
who thinks you are a robot too. Big Guy is Rusty’s idol; he adores
him. To Rusty, I’m just Mechanic Dwayne. Not much to jump up and
down about. How on Earth do you raise an 8 year old kid?" Dwayne
stopped speaking, already feeling sheepish for sharing that much of
his worry with Jo.
"You’re worried that Rusty won’t accept you?" Jo was floored
by Dwayne’s admission.
"In a way. And if he ever finds out the truth, well, I think
he would hate me."
Jo sighed and put a hand on her friend’s shoulder. "Dwayne,
I think you won’t know until you tell him. And he should find out
before he accidentally reads it from your mind. Maybe, he would be
happier to have someone he could talk to all the time, instead of
having a hero who’s perpetually in shut down mode. And if it's any
consolation, I think you would make a great dad." Jo smiled and
folded her arms across her chest.
"Jo," Dwayne said, "I’m never around. When I’m not in the
suit, I’m usually sleeping. I don’t have very good job security.
Any day I could kick the bucket. Take the big dive." He looked down
at the water. "I’ll make a horrible parent."
"Well," Jo snorted, "at least you’re optimistic."
Dwayne smiled at that and felt a little better. "Well,
remember when your parents always said things like ‘wait till you
have kids,’ or you won’t understand until you’re a parent’?"
"Yeah."
"I think, for better or worse, I’m gonna find out what my
mom meant when she was yelling things like that at me and my sister."
"Oh, yeah, I’d forgotten what little hellions you all were.
Maybe you won’t be the best role model for Rusty." Jo smiled and
slapped Dwayne on the back as she got up. "Come on, Lieutenant.
We’ll all tell Rusty the truth together. That way he can hate us
all." She cheerily smiled as Dwayne got up to go with her. Dwayne
tossed her a wry smile of his own.
"I think I’d rather tell him alone. You know, man to man."
"Suit yourself." Jo then assumed a much serious tone.
"We’ll be close if you need us." She gave him one last pat on the
back as they descended the stairs.
On to Part 6!
Back to part 4
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