A short fic to explore the relationship of Rob and Oh-No. A little Father's Day fic.
Disclaimer: Mighty Orbots is owned by TMS Entertainment.
Flashback...
Rob Simmons put the finishing touches on a small robot that he had been building. She was only about two and half feet high, made of silver and pink metal. Red "hair" peeked out from the front of the pink metal that framed her silvery face. On the front of her chest was a Galactic Patrol emblem: A white circle with a upside-down red triangle at the top, and a blue slash along the left side of the triangle. She looked for all the world like a small child of two or three years of age. Few would know that her intended purpose was far greater than as a simple prototype robot.
When Rob was satisfied that everything was in order, he moved his hand to the "On" button.
"Here goes," he said to no one in particular. He gave the little robot a friendly smile as he activated her.
The small robot's eyes openned, as large and as bright as a human child's. For a long moment, the girl-bot stared at Rob, as if trying to comprehend who he was. Then, as if she recognized him, she gave him a big smile, and spoke her first words to him.
"Hello...Daddy," she said, her voice as sweet and child-like as she looked. Slowly, almost shyly, she lifted her arms to him.
"Uh...hello..." Rob replied, taken somewhat aback. Of all the words to come out of her mouth, he had not expected the word, "Daddy".
But, come to think of it, he thought, I am technicaly her father. I designed her --that would be conception--, I built her --that corasponds to...uh...pregnacy, I guess-- and I just activated her --birth. But a father? Me?
She was still waiting for him to take her in his arms. She was about to lower them, hurt that he did not seem to share her feelings, when he noticed her expression and held his own arms out, giving her a gentle, reassuring smile. Her face brightened and she lept into his arms, hugging him.
For the moment, all other plans were forgotten. It was just Rob and his little, mechanical girl.
Little Oh-No.
There would be others, of course, for the plan was to create six special robots --Orbots-- to fight evil, especially the Organiazation of Shadow, and it's bio-computer leader, Umbra.
While he loved the others dearly --his other "children"-- Oh-No would have a special place in his heart.
...End Flashback
Oh-No was plugged into her recharge chamber. While the other Orbots had recharge chambers hidden all over the world --as well as a set of emergency recharge chambers there at Rob's house--, Oh-No lived with Rob, and her "room" was located next to Rob's.
Occasionally, even the Orbots would have dreams, and tonight, Oh-No was having a nightmare. Locked in the terror of the dream, the small girl-bot struggled against unseen forces. Tiny cries and sobs would escape her lips as she despretly tried to escape the nightmare.
Finally, even in sleep, she found her voice. Her first thought was to call for Rob and the Orbots. But the Orbots were not there. Only Rob. So, taking a deep breath, she screamed out with all the energy she could muster for the effort.
"ROB! HELP ME! PLEASE! ROB!.
In his room, Rob was awakened by Oh-No's screams. In an instant, he had grabbed his glasses and put them on. He did not bother putting on his bathrobe, and just hurried to Oh-No's room in his pajamas.
When he burst into the room, he saw her in her recharge chamber, struggling to get free. She was crying in her fear and was holding out her arms toward the door.
"Rob, help me, please!" she sobbed weakly, her energy now lower than it should be.
Rob quickly ran to her, unhooked her from the recharging bed, and lifted her in his arms, gently rocking her to soothe her fears.
"Shhh...it's okay, Oh-No," he whispered softly in her "ear". "You're okay, honey. You're safe."
Tenderly, he carried her to the living room, where he sat in a soft chair, trying to wake her up. All the while, he talked gently to her, constantly reassuring her that she was safe.
Soon, Oh-No openned her eyes. She expected to see the terrors of her nightmare hovering above her. Instead, it was the kind, gentle smile of her creator and father.
"Rob...wha..." she whispered, confused.
"You were having a nightmare, Oh-No," he answered. "It scared you so much, that you used a lot of energy. How about something to eat?"
"Okay," she answered. The Orbots could also "eat" metal and minarals, and other materials, and convert it to energy. Crunch could do so with large amounts, and transfer the energy to the others. But each Orbot had his/her own, normal-sized appetite.
Rob got up and carried Oh-No to the kitchen. He sat her at the table and fixed her a plate of shaped metal --her "cookies"--, and a glass of lubrication fluid --her "milk". For himself, Rob got a plate of Oreos and a glass of milk. He sat down with her and the two enjoyed their "midnight snack".
"What was your dream about, Oh-No?" Rob asked, twisting the sandwitch cookie and eating the creamy middle.
"It was really scary," the child robot said, biting into her own "cookie", and drinking from her glass.
"Yeah, I kinda guessed that," Rob told her. "Judging by all the screaming you were doing."
"Was I really loud?"
"Well, to use a very old saying, you were screaming loud enough to wake the dead!" Rob could not help but grin. The smile faded when he saw the look on her face.
"That was what my dream was about," she confessed. "I dreamed that you, and Dia, and Rondu, and even the other Orbots were dead, and your bodies were coming after me. I was running, and running, and running, trying to escape. But everytime I stopped to rest, there you would all be."
"We were zombies?" he asked.
"No. Vampires. I was afraid that if you caught me, you would turn me into a vampire. So I just kept running."
"And yet, you called to me for help."
"Yeah. I think I realized that it was a dream, I just couldn't get out of if. I knew you all weren't really vampires, so I just called out for the real you. I could feel you lift me up and carry me away, but in my nightmare..."
"It was the vampire me that was carrying you," Rob finished.
"Yeah. But I heard your real words, and that's what finally woke me up."
"It was only a dream, Oh-No. It could never happen. And there is nothing in the universe that could make me, or Dia, or Rondu, or the Orbots do anything that would harm you."
"I know," Oh-No smiled. They finished their snack, and cleaned up the kitchen. Then, they headed back to bed. Oh-No hesitated in front of her door.
"What is it, Oh-No?" Rob asked. She looked up at him.
"Rob, could I stay with you tonight. Please?"
Rob looked at her. She was the key to Mighty Orbots, defender of the galaxy, but at the moment, she looked as vulnerable and lost as any child her apparent age. It was enough to melt anyone's heart.
"Sure," he smiled. He led her to his room, where she climbed into his bed. He tucked her in on one side, then got in on the other. He took a glance at her, and saw that she was already asleep.
"Good-night, Oh-No," he whispered softly. He brushed a kiss to her little cheek.
"Good-night...Daddy..." she answered sleepily. He smiled, then drifted off to sleep, himself.