Chapter 32: Pheonix

From Accct Wiki

The sirens were going off everywhere in downtown Tremorton. A horrible fire had mysteriously started, catching everyone by surprise. Already, three smaller office buildings had been evacuated because of the fire, and the flames were licking at the side of Tremorton National Bank and Loan. Jenny "XJ-9" Wakeman was hard at work, rerouting water from a fire hydrant down the street while firefighters used the nearer hydrant.

Suddenly, all hell broke loose. The roof collapsed on the first building, and screams could be heard from inside. "Oh, no!" screamed someone from the street. "Some people on the 12th floor must still be trapped in there!"

"I'm on it!" Jenny called. After checking to see if most of the fire was under control, she unhooked from the hydrant, pulled in all her detached limbs, and zoomed into the burning building. Her eyes scanned through the fog, looking for human DNA signatures. She filed through all the bits and pieces until she found the people, huddled in a far corner away from where the collapsed roof had fallen. "Hold on, I'll get you to safety!" She used her Extendo-Arms to gently lift the people to the ground, one by one.

She had just taken down the last person when disaster struck. While she was busy retracting her arm, a white-hot, steel support beam cracked and fell, landing on top of Jenny's chest and trapping her. Jenny pushed as hard as she could, but the steel had fused into her own metal skin, making it impossible to move. After almost fifteen minutes of struggling, she made a decision: to reduce damage to her software, she would have to shut down completely, leaving her body helpless against any more damage. The last thing she saw before she lost her vision was a bubbling trail of melted rubber, coming from inside her body...

An hour later, after the fire had been completely doused and the smoke cleared, a frantic Dr. Wakeman sent in one of her seeker androids to find XJ-9. Within minutes of scanning, the seeker made its way to the top floor. It returned shortly after, carrying a bundle in its four arms. Closer inspection revealed a charred, smoky XJ-9. However, she was not without damages: extensive flaying of the outer shell, shredded wires encased inside pools of melted rubber insulation, major fusion with surrounding metals on her chest area, and no telling what internal damage from heat, flame, and the water used to put out the fire. With tears in her eyes, Dr. Wakeman covered XJ-9's body in a blanket and allowed the seeker robot to carry her safely home.

Jenny slowly came back online, her eyes not yet in focus. Once she was fully active, she realized she was no longer in the burned-out building, but in her mom's lab. "Hello?" she called tentatively. She received no answer. She tried to stand, but found that she was buckled down onto a lab table. A moment later, Dr. Wakeman walked through the door.

"Oh, you're back online, XJ Ni-yun," she said, slipping on a pair of insulated work gloves. "That's good to know. Why don't you run a diagnostics check and let me know if you have any software damage?"

Jenny did as she a was told. A moment later, she replied, "No software damage found, Mom. But what about physical damage?" Her eyes popped out of their "sockets" and curled around, allowing Jenny a full view of her body. She let out a soft shriek as she saw what had become of her: she was practically a robotic Frankenstein, with mismatched, spare parts abounding. "Mom... What happened to me?" she whispered.

"You suffered serious hardware damage, XJ Ni-yun, to both your appearance and your weaponry. I had to use parts from your prototype bodies to fix you, but I still haven't been able to repair all of the damage."

"Well, how long will it take, then?"

"I'm afraid...I can't, XJ Ni-yun. The damage is too extensive; I'd have to build you a completely new body. And had I known something like this would happen..."

"What do you mean?" Jenny was suddenly nervous.

"Well, some of your parts I made myself. And, not knowing that you would ever suffer such damage, I foolishly threw away the original schematics. And inside you, those parts are either too damaged for me to be able to copy them properly, or they have fused with other parts and I cannot remove them without having to replace the whole section of your body, such as here." She released the bonds holding Jenny's left arm, then tried to bend it at the elbow. The movement was rough and jerky, and Jenny could hear the distinct screech of improperly fitting parts rubbing against each other. "There's nothing further I can do for you."

"But...with all these parts jury-rigged on, one fight could land me in the recycling bin!" Jenny said in a yell of protest.

"I know, XJ Ni-yun," Nora replied in an equally loud, upset voice. In a slightly calmer tone, she added, "That's why I think it might be best if you took some time off from your world-saving duties. Perhaps with a little effort I can create some upgrades that would do the trick, but it would take time that we currently don't have."

"But Mom, aren't you the one who's always telling me that the world can go into peril at any moment?" Jenny shot back.

"Jennifer Wakeman, if you say one more word, you will be grounded--permanently!" Nora shrieked. Jenny cringed as if she'd just been slapped. She then broke the leather straps holding her to the lab table, activated her foot jets, and shot out of the lab, crying. At that moment, Nora mentally slapped herself. That had been much too familiar for her taste. She immediately called Brad. "Bradley, would you please go and look for XJ Ni-yun for me? I believe she may be at the park. We had a bit of a...falling out, and she's upset."

After a few minutes of flying through the still night, Jenny arrived at the park. With a tearful sigh, she collapsed onto the ground, letting artificial tears leak from her eyes. She pounded the dirt repeatedly until she realized she was creating a rather large divot in the ground. "I knew it," she said to herself. "Mom wants to decommission me. She thinks I can't fight anymore, so she's going to put me in sleep mode just like 1 through 8 and she's going to replace me with a better robot--an XJ-perfect-10." She slowly stood, cringing at the screech of her knees as they worked their way through damage and rust. Taking the worn walking path, Jenny went around and around in a half-mile circuit until she bumped into someone. Looking up, she realized it was Brad. "Oh, hey, Brad," Jenny said glumly.

"What's wrong, Jen? Your mom called. She said you two had a fight, and--whoa!" Brad said, startled, as Jenny walked into the glow of a nearby streetlamp.

"This is what's wrong, Brad. I got hurt...in that fire downtown." Jenny sat down glumly in the middle of the path.

"The one that happened last week?" Brad asked, sitting down next to her.

"It's been a week already?" Brad nodded. "Wow...well, Mom can't fix all the damage that was done to me, so she's going to decommission me."

"She told you that?"

Jenny opened her mouth and a recording of the conversation could be heard. At the conclusion--"Jennifer Wakeman, if you say one more word, you will be grounded--permanently!"-- the final word seemed to echo in the night air.

After a few moments of stunned silence, Brad said, "Umm...Jenny...when's the last time your mom actually called you 'Jennifer?'"

"I...I don't really know."

"Hmm... You know, I think this may be a big misunderstanding. I don't think she's going to decommission you, Jen. She has the same tone in her voice as my mom does when I argue with her. Maybe at that moment, she wasn't thinking of you as a robot, but as a daughter. She's worried about you, Jen."

"You think so?"

"Yeah. I do. So, do you want to go back now?" Brad grasped Jenny's hand in his own. "I'll go with you, if you want."

Jenny nodded, secretly happy that he was holding her hand. "Yeah." She tried to start her boot jets, but they wouldn't ignite. "Hmm... I guess they got damaged too. Looks like we're walking."

"Don't worry about it," Brad said. He let go of Jenny's hand and dug around in a bag that she had only just then noticed. A moment later, he held out two jet packs and handed one to her. "Your mom figured you might need this."

Jenny smiled. "She was right...as usual." They strapped on the jet packs and took off into the night sky. Neither of them noticed the tiny robot floating in the air behind them.

"Hmm... Very interesting," Vexxus mused. She was watching a transmission from a Cluster drone that had been sent to Earth to spy on Jenny. "She's at her weakest now. It's the perfect opportunity. We'll offer her repairs, a better body--one that her...mother...would never be able to provide. She'll never be able to resist it, not in her pitiful state. Jennifer will be mine!"

Vexxus turned away from the screen and toward a nearby robot. "Send out Vothnar 427," she commanded. "He's the best at this particular kind of persuasion." With an evil laugh, Vexxus returned to watching the screen.

Within minutes, Vothnar 427, a giant, blue,four-armed robot, had jumped through Vexxus's latest discovery: a wormhole leading directly to Tremorton, California, USA. He soon appeared in the air above Jenny and Brad. "Greetings, XJ-9. My name is Vothnar 427."

"Okay...and why are you here?" Jenny asked suspiciously. He stank of Cluster (figuratively speaking, of course). She waved to Brad, who nodded and continued on his way home.

"I am here to offer you a glorious opportunity: The people of my planet have heard of your plight, and they wish to help. They can provide you with repairs, or even build you a completely new body. All you have to do is--join the Cluster!"

"Never in a million years!" Jenny replied hotly. Even though the line about the repairs was probably true, she'd rather be decommissioned than part of the Cluster.

Vothnar scoffed. "You have so much to learn, young robot." With that, he swatted at her, sending her careening into a nearby tree. She got up quickly, but not as quickly as she would have liked. That did more damage than it should have, she thought to herself. Before she could react, Vothnar was upon her, pummeling her with his four arms. She managed to roll out from under his flurry of punches, then shot a missile out of her one good arm. It was a direct hit, removing on of his arms. The only problem was that he still had three left. Jenny waited for him to get close before she shot at him with a laser, slicing off a second arm.

"XJ-9," Vothnar taunted, "I have an unlimited supply of limbs." As soon as he spoke, two new arms appeared where the others had been.

"Cripes, when will Vexxus learn that I'm never going to join?" Jenny asked herself aloud. She struck at him with her own arms and legs until she noticed a warning sign flashing before her eyes. She did a quick diagnostics check: she was leaking fluids and running dangerously low on energy. She would have to finish the fight soon, or else she'd be a sitting duck. With one final blast, Jenny managed to burn a hole right through Vothnar's power core, shutting him down completely.

With Vothnar taken care of, Jenny realized just how bad she actually was: one more minute of that and she would have been toast. Worried about how much longer she'd last, Jenny shut down all unnecessary systems before trudging home.

Jenny arrived at Brad's house, completely exhausted and on the verge of total shutdown. She knocked softly, unable to summon any more strength to her arm. Luckily, Brad was waiting for her. "Jen, what happened?" he asked, worry in his voice as he examined the dings and dents all over her body.

"Vothnar...Cluster...beat him, but I'm...tired now...entering...Sleep Mode..." With that, Jenny's body shut down, causing her to grow rigid.

Brad quickly ran next door to the Wakeman residence and pounded on the door. "Dr. Wakeman, quick! Jen's hurt!"

Clad in a nightgown and slippers, Nora hurried over to the Hunter's front yard. "XJ Ni-yun! What happened?"

"She was attacked by the Cluster," Brad explained. "She told me she won, but I think she was too exhausted to make it to your house, so she came here."

"Oh, my...Bradley, I think you had better come to my house. When XJ Ni-yun wakes up, I have something to show the both of you."

Brad nodded and walked inside the house to get permission. When he returned with his things, Tuck, in cowboy pajamas, was standing alongside him. "What's wrong with Jenny?" he asked, fear in his voice.

"She's just tired, Tuck," Brad explained. "She'll be all right soon."

"Are you sure?"

"I am positive XJ Ni-yun will awaken shortly, as soon as I get her plugged into an external power source," Nora said to reassure the boy.

"Okay, then," Tuck said with a yawn. "Wake me up when she's better." With that, he returned to the house, while Brad helped Nora carry Jenny to the lab.

Once in the lab, Nora found Jenny's power cord and plugged it into a large generator. Within minutes, Jenny was up and running again. "Mmm...Mom? Brad? What happened?"

"You passed out in front of my house," Brad said.

"Oh...wait, Vothnar...I beat him, right?"

Nora replied, "Yes, XJ Ni-yun."

"All right, then." Jenny then noticed that she was plugged into the generator. "Aww, Mom, do I have to be plugged in?"

"Yes, XJ Ni-yun. You need at least eight hours to fully recharge. I would recommend that you enter Sleep Mode to speed up the process."

"Okay, Mom..."

"Hey, I'll stay down here with ya," Brad offered. "I'm beat, anyway."

"Yes, that sounds like a first-rate idea," Nora replied. "I'll see you two in the morning." She headed upstairs, while Brad set up his sleeping bag and sleepover stuff.

Jenny looked at everything with interest. "So, these are the things boys take to sleepovers?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Only difference is that our sleepovers are usually outside. They're more commonly known as 'camping trips' than as sleepovers, though."

"Oh." Jenny laid down on the floor next to the sleeping bag. "Good night, Brad."

"Night, Jen," he responded, crawling into the sleeping bag. Jenny watched him as he fell asleep. She gently reached out and brushed a lock of hair from his face before entering Sleep Mode herself.

Nine hours later, everyone in the Wakeman household was up and refreshed after a good night's sleep (or Sleep Mode, as the case may be). Nora and Brad ate pancakes for breakfast, while Jenny enjoyed a can of motor oil. After breakfast, Jenny quickly washed the dishes, then the trio went down into the lab.

"XJ Ni-yun, last night, after you left, I realized something," Nora began.

"What is it, Mom?" Jenny asked.

"Well, you see, there's something I've been hiding from you. When I first conceptualized you, I wasn't thinking about saving the planet at all. In fact, I was quite angry at the world."

"Why?" Jenny and Brad asked in unison.

"Because, I was hurt by losing the one thing that was closest to me." Nora pulled down on a nearby storage hook, and the entire section of wall slid away, revealing a secret room. All three walked in slowly, with Nora in the lead. In the center of the room, doused in ambient light, was a girl suspended inside a glass tube. She was floating in some unknown liquid, her hair and dress billowing as bubbles traveled to the top of the tube. Upon closer inspection, Jenny saw that the girl was very pale, and had dark blue hair that seemed to reach just past her shoulder blades. Out of the corner of her eye, Jenny could see that Brad was openly staring at the girl, and that his eyes were glazed over, just like Sheldon Lee's did whenever she was around. For a moment, Jenny felt envy rear its ugly head, and wished once again that she could be human. She turned her attention back to the girl's face.

"Mom...she looks like...like me. If I were human, that is." In fact, Jenny was absolutely correct. Jenny's facial features, though robotic in design, were very similar to this girl's, if not slightly more polygonal.

"XJ Ni-yun, this young lady's name is Jennifer. Eight years ago, she suffered a horrible accident, which almost killed her. A few months after the accident, her body had healed, but the doctors suspected that she had experienced irreversible head trauma. She was completely braindead. They wanted to take her off of life support, so that she would die; however, I had recently built a stasis machine, which is what you see here." She guestured to the room. "It is designed to allow someone who has a disease or injury, such as Jennifer, to be 'frozen' in time until their problem has a cure or a solution. In this case, Jennifer was to be put in stasis until such time as her brain trauma could be fixed, and her life restored."

"Mom, how do you know Jennifer?"

Nora choked back a sob. "Jennifer was...is...my daughter."

Jenny stumbled backwards. "Are you...serious? This is your daughter?"

Brad pointed to a small plaque on the tube. He read: "Jennifer Marie Wakeman. Born: January 23, 2005. Entered Stasis: August 15, 2021."

"Eight years ago..." Jenny whispered. She turned to Nora. "Why are you showing me this?"

"Because, the day I designed your schematics was the third anniversary of her accident. I created you to look like her. I thought...I thought that if I had a robot version of her, if I made you, that you would replace her. But I was wrong. I ended up making you just like One through Eight, in order to save the wrold, because I couldn't stand to look at you. Every day you grew more like her, and you still are. I have to put a stop to it."

"Mom, you're scaring me." Jenny was still a little worriedabout being put into permanent Sleep Mode.

"No, no, I'm not going to decommission you." She led Brad and Jenny to the far corner of the stasis room, where a large machine rested. "This machine transfers information from a computer into the synapses of the human mind. If my theory is correct, I may be able to give you what you've always wanted, and get my daughter back at the same time."

"You mean, I could be human? I could be your real daughter, and not just a robot?" Nora nodded.

"Wow, so Jenny's actually going to be Jenny!" Brad said excitedly. "Just wait, Jen, there's so much I'm going to have to teach you about being human!"

"Can we do it now, Mom?" Jenny asked.

"Absolutely not!" Jenny flinched at Nora's sharp tone. "First, we must build a replacement. I believe I will give the new Global Protection Unit some upgrades, however. They were meant for you, but with the fire damages I wasn't sure if they would fit any longer."

"Can I help, Mom?" Jenny asked.

"I'll help, too," Brad offered.

"All right, then. Well, the sooner we get started, the sooner we'll be done."

"Yes!" Jenny and Brad shouted.

Ten hours later, they had pulled up Jenny's original blueprints. Rather than creating a whole new design, they had decided to just make a few alterations to the XJ-9 model. Soon, they were hard at work. Every once in a while, Jenny would stare longingly at the wall hiding the stasis room, thinking about what it would be like to be human. Whenever Brad caught her doing so, he would give her a reassuring smile and a wink. These moments would make Jenny blush slightly, not only because she was being caught, but because she thought Brad looked so handsome when he winked.

Two weeks later, everything was ready: XJ-10 had been completed, and all preliminary tests on the transfer machine had been run successfully. It was Jenny’s last day as a robot. So, to celebrate, she and Brad took one last trip to Mezmer’s. “So, how does it feel?” Brad asked over a chocolate malt shake. “Knowing that you’re gonna be human, and all.”

“It’s so exciting!” Jenny squealed happily. “You’re going to teach me everything, though, right?”

“Yup! You’ll know everything about being human in no time. Me and Tuck will be with ya every step of the way.”

Jenny smiled, but inwardly felt a little upset. She didn’t particularly want Tuck around; after all, he was only a little kid. She wanted to know about being a teen. And I want to spend some time alone with Brad, she admitted to herself. I hope that he’ll like me once I’m a human.

Jenny realized Brad was saying something. “Hmm?”

“I was just wondering what you were thinking,” Brad explained. “You seemed to be having a deep conversation with yourself.” His eyes crinkled as he grinned.

Jenny’s metal heart melted at his smile, and his concern. “Bradley Carbunkle!” she said mock-haughtily. She playfully slapped his arm, trying not to hit him so hard as to leave a bruise. Brad winced slightly and grasped his arm; for one horrified moment, Jenny was afraid she’d hurt him, but the grin that appeared in his eyes told her that he was playing around. Brad pulled out his wallet and slapped a few bills on the counter to pay for the shake, then ran out of Mezmer’s, Jenny on his heels.

They ran down the street, soon arriving at Tremorton Park. Tired of running, Jenny walked over to the swings and sat down in one. Brad came up behind her and started to push her gently. Jenny closed her eyes and leaned into the swing, wishing for the millionth time that she could feel the breeze on her face. Suddenly it hit her: in just a matter of hours, she would be able to. The thought blew her mind.

“Hey, Jen?” Brad asked, his voice soft.

“Yeah?”

“I just wanted to make sure… When you’re human, and all, you won’t forget me, will you?”

Jenny’s “eyebrows” shot up. “Why would I do that? You’re my best friend, Brad.”

“I know. It’s just…I have a feeling that Don Prima and everyone will want to be your friend, once you’re a human.”

“Really? You think so?” Jenny asked, excitement in her voice. She hadn’t thought of that before.

“Yeah.” Brad sounded absolutely miserable.

Jenny looked at Brad; his eyes were firmly pointed at his feet. At that point, she realized something. “You know something, Brad?” She stood and walked over to him. “If they don’t like me as a robot, then they don’t deserve me as a human. I’ll still be Jenny, no matter how I look. So don’t worry; I won’t forget you. As a matter of fact, you’ll probably be my only friend. I’m convinced that Sheldon only likes me because I’m a robot, so he’ll probably forget all about me and start liking XJ-10.” She gave Brad a smile and a friendly hug. After a moment, Brad returned the hug, his cheeks tinted a slight pink.

“Thanks, Jen,” Brad said. “That makes me feel a lot better.” He stepped away, starting to make his way toward Jenny’s house. “Come on; let’s get you home. That way we can go ahead and get started.” With a smile, Jenny followed.

“Are you ready for this, Jenny?” Brad asked. Jenny was strapped into a chair, with a conglomeration of wires sticking out of the back of her head. They led to the transfer machine, which, in turn, had bundles that led to XJ-10 and a helmet that was strapped onto Jennifer’s head.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Jenny replied honestly.

“All right, let’s go over this one more time,” Nora said. “XJ Ni-yun, you will have to shut down completely. Then the machine will transfer your software, the robot part of your mind, into XJ-10. It will then transfer the human part: conscience, memories, et cetera, into Jennifer’s brain. If all goes well, you should awaken in a few hours, fully human, with no special abilities and no urge to fight.”

Jenny nodded. “All right, Mom. Let’s get started.” She took a deep “breath,” steeling her nerve. “Shutting down.” For a moment, Jenny saw distorted colors, as if someone had turned her eyes to black-and-white mode. Then she slept.

“Yeah, I’m awake,” Jenny finally said. It took her a moment to realize how she’d spoken before. It wasn’t all that different from when she was a robot; the only difference was that instead of mechanical things happening automatically, it was actions like breathing and blinking that she did without command. Everything else just took a moment of thought to send the messages to her body, and it was usually subconscious thought at that. “I take it everything went smoothly?”

“Yep, it all went without a hitch,” Brad reported. “Jessie’s up and run—“

“Jessie?” Jenny interrupted.

“XJ Ten. She’s a lot like you, you know. She says her name is Jessie.”

“You mean she has a human side too?”

“I guess. It’s kind of weird: she’s like you, but at the same time, she’s not. She says she has all your memories, so she knows all about the Cluster and Vexus now.”

“Hmm, that’s weird.” Jenny felt a weird sensation on her earlobe—I have ears! —so she lifted a hand and rubbed at it. She realized that there was a small hoop in her ear. And they’re pierced!

“Is your ear itchy?” Brad asked.

“Is that what it’s called? It feels kind of…buzzy.”

“Yeah. Just scratch at it—you know, with your fingernails? That’ll make it feel better.”

Jenny nodded. She gently grazed the itchy spot with her fingernails, and almost immediately it stopped feeling so weird. Suddenly, a loud gurgle came from Jenny’s stomach, and she clutched at it. For a moment, she thought something was wrong, but Brad just smiled at her. “I think you’re hungry. Let’s go downstairs and get you something to eat.”

Jenny nodded, but was reluctant to leave the warmth and security of the bed she was lying in. Tentatively, she stuck first one foot, then her whole leg, out from under the covers. She shivered a little from the cold, and then giggled as she saw goose bumps appear. She did the same with the other leg, then slowly stood, trying to balance on her own. For the first time, she didn’t have ball-bearing hips or a gyroscopic balance center. As if knowing exactly what was wrong, Brad stood and walked around the bed, coming to her aid. He helped her balance before she took her first slow, unsteady steps. A few minutes later, she was able to walk on her own.

Mmm…what is that? Jenny felt a slight pressure on her face; at least, that was the best way to describe it. She felt as though something was gently draped across her face, something comforting and soft. She slowly opened her eyes, but immediately had to blink. Sunlight was streaming through a window, hitting her face. She realized that what she was feeling was warmth.

Wait…feeling? Jenny looked around; rather than seeing things with cold, robotic vision, everything seemed more colorful…more alive. She glanced down and saw a pale arm sticking out of a blanket. She wiggled her fingers, and the arm did the same. Wait a minute… Jenny saw a mirror out of the corner of her eye’ turning her head toward it, she gasped in shock as she saw her reflection. “Jennifer?” she said out loud in a voice that wasn’t, and yet was, her own. It sounded like hers, but just like her vision, it seemed more human.

“Jenny! You’re awake!” Jenny quickly turned her head to the other side, and was rewarded with a slight case of vertigo. When her dizziness subsided, she realized that Brad was sitting in a chair next to the bed she was laying in—and he’s holding my hand, she thought. She gently tugged her hand free from his. Brad looked down at his hand, as if he hadn’t realized what it had just been doing.

“Yeah, I’m awake,” Jenny finally said. It took her a moment to realize how she’d spoken before. It wasn’t all that different from when she was a robot; the only difference was that instead of mechanical things happening automatically, it was actions like breathing and blinking that she did without command. Everything else just took a moment of thought to send the messages to her body, and it was usually subconscious thought at that. “I take it everything went smoothly?”

“Yep, it all went without a hitch,” Brad reported. “Jessie’s up and run—“

“Jessie?” Jenny interrupted.

“XJ Ten. She’s a lot like you, you know. She says her name is Jessie.”

“You mean she has a human side too?”

“I guess. It’s kind of weird: she’s like you, but at the same time, she’s not. She says she has all your memories, so she knows all about the Cluster and Vexus now.”

“Hmm, that’s weird.” Jenny felt a weird sensation on her earlobe—I have ears! —so she lifted a hand and rubbed at it. She realized that there was a small hoop in her ear. And they’re pierced!

“Is your ear itchy?” Brad asked.

“Is that what it’s called? It feels kind of…buzzy.”

“Yeah. Just scratch at it—you know, with your fingernails? That’ll make it feel better.”

Jenny nodded. She gently grazed the itchy spot with her fingernails, and almost immediately it stopped feeling so weird. Suddenly, a loud gurgle came from Jenny’s stomach, and she clutched at it. For a moment, she thought something was wrong, but Brad just smiled at her. “I think you’re hungry. Let’s go downstairs and get you something to eat.”

Jenny nodded, but was reluctant to leave the warmth and security of the bed she was lying in. Tentatively, she stuck first one foot, then her whole leg, out from under the covers. She shivered a little from the cold, and then giggled as she saw goose bumps appear. She did the same with the other leg, then slowly stood, trying to balance on her own. For the first time, she didn’t have ball-bearing hips or a gyroscopic balance center. As if knowing exactly what was wrong, Brad stood and walked around the bed, coming to her aid. He helped her balance before she took her first slow, unsteady steps. A few minutes later, she was able to walk on her own.

“Thanks, Brad,” Jenny said, throwing her arms around him in a hug. Brad grew unusually stiff; Jenny noticed and let go of him, giving him an odd look. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m…I’m going to, uh, get Dr. Wakeman up here,” Brad said, eyes darting around nervously. “She needs to help you get dressed.”

“Hmm?” Jenny asked, but Brad was already gone.

A moment later, Nora walked in. “Oh…Jennifer…” Tears formed in her eyes, but she brushed them away.

“Mom, something weird is going on with Brad. I just hugged him, but he got all stiff and ran away. You’d think I have cooties or something.”

Nora snapped out of her reverie. “Oh, yes. He told me. Jennifer, I’d like to introduce you to…this.” She dug around in a nearby dresser, pulling out a white, strappy thing.

“What is it?”

“It is a bra. You wear it around your chest.”

“What for?” Nora motioned to Jenny’s chest. Jenny looked down, and then blushed. “Oh. Yeah. You told me about this before we did the switch.”

“Precisely. Do you remember everything else I told you?” Jenny nodded. “All right, then. Go ahead and get dressed.”

A few minutes later, Jenny walked downstairs, albeit clumsily, wearing a tight black baby tee and hip-hugger jeans thatshowedoff her slim stomach and navel ring, with blue fuzzy slippers on her feet. Her hair was down, curling softly at the ends and tucked behind her ears. Brad looked up from his cereal to look at her, and his eyes widened. “Hey, Brad,” she said, flipping her vibrant blue hair. It settled softly about her shoulders as she poured herself a bowl of cereal. She took a quick glance at Brad’s bowl, as if to confirm what to do next, before she reached for the milk. Then she picked up a spoon and took a small bite.

It was as if an explosion had gone off in her mouth. The flavors swamped her brain with signals, producing an experience similar to that which a hallucinogenic drug might create. Of course, it was on a much smaller scale, but for Jenny, who had never eaten anything before in her entire life, it was a completely mind-blowing experience. She began shoveling her cereal into her mouth as quickly as possible, trying to get as much in as she could. She was disappointed when she finished the bowl, but poured herself another. Three bowls of Froot Loops later, Jenny was satisfied, though her stomach was faintly protesting so much food.

“You know, if you eat that much at every meal, you’re going to get fat,” Brad said.

Jenny stuck her tongue out at him. “It tasted good.” In the back of her head, Jenny had faint memories of taste; she realized that these were Jennifer’s memories. With a smile, she mentally went through them, cataloguing the tastes of lemon pepper chicken (spicy, yet delicious), French fries with ketchup (salty and tangy), and chocolate ice cream (sweet and cold!), among others. With these came more memories: babysitting for the Carter family, who lived down the street; going to the carnival with friends; and—Luke Thompson. Jenny’s eyes widened as she realized that this Luke character was Jennifer’s boyfriend—at least, he was until she had her accident. Jenny stood from the table and ran into the kitchen, frantically looking through drawers to try to find the phone book.

Brad followed her into the kitchen. “What’s up, Jen? What are you looking for?”

“Phone book,” Jenny said.

“What for?”

“Luke Thompson,” Jenny murmured.

“You mean, Mr. Thompson, the physics teacher?”

“WHAT?” Jenny looked at Brad incredulously.

“The physics teacher at the high school is named Luke Thompson.”

Jenny collapsed onto the floor Indian-style. “Oh my gosh. You’re right. The physics teacher is…was…Jennifer’s boyfriend.”

“Are you serious?” Brad asked. Jenny nodded. “Well, that explains why he was so weird around you last school year. You remind him of her.”

“Brad, what am I going to do now? I don’t just look like Jennifer, I am Jennifer.”

“Hey, don’t worry,” Brad said, kneeling beside her. He put his hand on her shoulder. “We’ll work it out. It’ll be okay.”

Jenny smiled. “Thanks, Brad,” she said softly, wrapping him in another hug. To her relief, he didn’t pull away this time. “You’re a real friend.” I just wish you were more…

Eventually, Brad extricated himself from her arms and stood. “Come on. Let’s get you outside, to practice being in the real world.”

“Okay.” Jenny started walking toward the door, but Brad grabbed her arm to stop her. “What?”

“You need to put on some shoes,” Brad said with a smile. “Fuzzy slippers aren’t appropriate outdoor wear.”

“Oh,” Jenny said. She felt her cheeks heat up. “Okay. I’ll be right back.” She ran upstairs. A minute later, she returned wearing some old, beat-up, black Converses. “Better?”

“Much.” Brad took her hand and led her toward the front door.

Before they could go, though, a rather tall robot stepped in the way. Jenny looked up to see the face of XJ-10. “Hi!” She said happily before gathering up Jenny in a spine-crushing hug. “I’m Jessie! You must be Jenny. You look a lot like your old body, you know.”

“I…know…” Jenny said, trying to breathe. Jessie noticed her discomfort and let her go. Jenny looked at Jessie for the first time as a human. She had yellow pigtails, much like Jenny’s robot ones. Also like Jenny’s old body, she had no ears. Rather than having a design like a midriff tank and skirt, though, Jessie’s body was designed to look like a short, sleeveless yellow dress. Her eyes were blue, which Jenny thought looked a lot better and more normal than yellow eyes would have. “Hey, Brad and I were just about to go out. Can you let Mom know?”

“Sure! You have fun with your boyfriend.” Jenny was about to tell Jessie off for teasing her, but realized that Jessie sounded perfectly serious.

“Brad’s not my boyfriend,” Jenny explained.

“Oh…but, all my information, which I got from you, by the way, has him listed as ‘optimal boyfriend material,’” Jessie said, her robotic face showing confusion. “So I assumed that…”

“Don’t worry about it, Jess,” Jenny said. “I’ll explain it to you later, all right?”

“Okay. Well, have fun.” Jessie stepped out of the way, letting Brad and Jenny pass.

Once they were outside, Brad turned to Jenny. “Jen”—

“I don’t know why she said that, Brad,” Jenny said nervously, cutting Brad off.

“Oh. Because…” He mumbled something unintelligible.

“What?”

“I was hoping…she was right.”

Jenny’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious?” Brad nodded earnestly. “But…”

“But what?”

“I thought…this isn’t just because I’m in this body, is it?”

“No! Jenny, I really like you; I have for a while. I was just afraid you wouldn’t like me, or that you wouldn’t want to date be since I’m a human and you were…”

“A robot? I can’t say the thought didn’t cross my mind, but I always thought the opposite. That you wouldn’t like me in that way since I was a robot. Then I saw you drooling of Jennifer while she was in stasis, and it just made me so sad, knowing I’d never have that chance with you.”

“But it turns out it all worked for the best, huh?” Brad asked, wrapping an arm around Jenny’s waist.

“Yep, it sure did.” She leaned her head against his shoulder. “So, does this mean we’re dating now?”

“If you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.” Jenny smiled brightly. They started walking slowly down the street, wandering aimlessly and just enjoying each other’s company. An hour or so later, they went over to the Carbunkle residence. Jenny wanted to show Tuck her new body.v

“Tuck!” Brad called as they walked inside. “Jenny and I are here!”

“Finally! You’ve come home!” Tuck slid down the banister from upstairs and walked toward the door. When he saw Jenny, his eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. “Jen…ny?”

“Yep, it’s me, Tuck. What do you think?”

“You’re…you’re…human,” he stammered.

“Yeah.”

“But…what about the world? Who’s going to keep it safe?”

“Jessie—XJ Ten—is going to take my place in that respect. You can come over later and meet her.”

“Really? Is she as cool as you?”

“Even cooler.” Jenny smiled; she didn’t feel the slightest twinge of jealousy at being replaced, because she now had what she’d always wanted.And she was human, too.

“Wow! So I can see her tonight?”

“Yep.”

“Cool!” Tuck yelled. Suddenly, he seemed to realize for the first time that Brand and Jenny were standing closely together, and that Brad’s arm was around Jenny’s waist. “AHHH! COOTIES!” He turned and ran, smacking against the banister, picking himself up, and tearing off up the stairs.

With a frown, Jenny turned to Brad. “Don’t worry; he thinks all girls have cooties.”

“Why didn’t I have cooties when I was a robot?”

“Because you were a robot, of course.” Brad gave Jenny a peck on the cheek. “Now you’re a girl—my girl.”

Jenny blushed and leaned against Brad again, yawning softly. “I’m tired. Let’s go home.”

“All right.” They sauntered out of the house and down the street to Jenny’s home.

When they walked in, Jessie was waiting. “Jenny, are you going to explain now?”

“There’s nothing to explain,” Jenny said with a grin. “Brad and I are going out. He really is my boyfriend.”

Jessie’s eyes widened in confusion, but she didn’t ask what caused the sudden change in status. “Oh…okay.”

Two weeks later, summer vacation had come to an end. Jenny, Brad, Tuck and Jessie were all prepared to return to school: Tuck would be a fifth grader, Jessie would be a sophomore, and Brad and Jenny would be starting their junior year of high school.

On the morning of the first day of school, Jenny put on the outfit she and Jessie had gone shopping for a few days before: blue midriff tank, blue mini-skirt with silver trim, and calf-high blue boots with white soles. With her outfit on and her hair in pigtails, Jenny looked just like everyone would remember her: as a robot. The only difference was that her skin was now a healthy color, rather than paint-white or the paleness of stasis.

“Oh, Jenny, you look great!” Jessie said. She was newly buffed, and shone like Don Prima’s sports car.

“Thanks, Jess. You look awesome, too!” At that moment, there was a knock at the door downstairs. Jessie flew down to answer it; a few seconds later, she returned, Brad walking in behind her.

“Hey, sweetie,” Brad said, giving Jenny a quick kiss.

“Hey, Brad. What do you think?” She gestured to her outfit.

“Wow! A real live robot-turned-human!” Brad said, mimicking his first reaction to Jenny.

“Wow! A real live teenager-turned-boyfriend!” Jenny countered, playing along. She picked up her black messenger bag, slinging it over her shoulder. “Everyone ready to go?” she asked.

Brad nodded, dangling his keys; he’d gotten his driver’s license the week before, and was driving everywhere. Jessie also nodded. Jenny and Brad had already filled her in on how things worked at Tremorton High, and warned her that any initial curiosity would wear off very quickly. With a smile, the three walked way downstairs and out to Brad’s car.

When they arrived at school, things went as expected: people were curious about Jessie (“Hey, where’s the other robot?”), ogled Jenny (“Hey, baby, you new here?”), and ignored Brad. Nothing really interesting happened until Jenny approached Don Prima and the Crust cousins.

“Hi,” Jenny said pleasantly.

Don turned around, caught a look at Jenny, and immediately turned on the charm. “Why, hello. I don’t believe you’ve had the pleasure. I’m Don Prima.”

“I’m Jennifer. It’s nice to meet you, Don Prima.” She looked over at Brit and Tiff. “And who are these two?”

“Oh. They’re Brit and Tiff Crust.”

“Nice to meet you, Brit and Tiff Crust,” Jenny said with an innocent smile, purposely mixing up their names. They glared at her angrily, but Don didn’t notice.

“Jennifer, please tell me you’ll come to my party tonight. It’s a small get-together, just a few close friends. I’d love it you would come.” He handed her an invitation.

“Sorry, Don Prima. But I already have plans. I’m going on a date with my boyfriend. Perhaps you’ve met him? His name is Brad Carbunkle.”

“You’re dating Carbunkle? Then you must not have been here long.”

“Long enough. Don’t you recognize me? I’m Jenny. As in Jenny XJ Nine, the robot.”

“What?” Don said, dismayed. “But…how?”

“Never mind that. The point is, you didn’t like me when I was a robot, so you have no reason to like me now. Yet you do. I’ve just proven that you’re shallow, self-centered, and stupid in less than five minutes.”

Don’s mouth opened and closed like a fish. Tiff stepped between him and Jenny. “Hey, you can’t talk to him like that!” she said angrily.

Jenny just ignored her, turning around and walked over to Brad. “Where’s Jessie?” she asked.

“Over there,” Brad replied after giving her a peck on the cheek. Jenny looked over at where he was pointing; Jessie was in deep conversation with Sheldon Lee. Jenny smiled. “I told you.”

“Told me what?” Brad asked.

“That Sheldon would like Jessie. It’s because she’s a robot.”

“Nah. It’s more than that. Look at her. She’s actually listening to him,” Brad said. “The robot thing might be why he liked her at first, but I bet that he’s fallen in love now.”

Jenny nodded. She had to admit, Jessie did appear to be interested in what Sheldon was saying. Suddenly, Jenny remembered the invitation in her hand. A wicked smile graced her lips. “I have an idea.”

“What?”

“You wanna crash a party tonight?” She showed him the invitation, explaining the conversation.

Brad smiled and wrapped his arms around Jenny. “I love the way you think.”