Fan Fiction ❯ The Adventures fo Keero the Android ❯ The Begining ( Chapter 1 )

The sun shone brightly in the rose-pink sky and a fresh breeze seemed to tease the grass with a playful nudge. It was summer on planet Jeray and like most summer's days it was perfect. Keero longed to go outside and tackle the apple tree in his back garden once again but instead he sat quite firmly on a table while Frank was looking at his leg. The room was lit by the a dim light that seemed to flicker every time someone moved and the smell of metal hung in the air. Frank was a strange looking man with eccentric looking white hair and excited blue eyes. He was a tall thin man who always wore a long white lab-coat that was buttoned up with black chunky buttons. Keero was an android created by Frank, and even though he was able to talk and move he was not yet complete. It a lot of ways Keero looked like his creator, with the same colour eyes and the same friendly smile, but instead of a white messy mop of hair Keero had green hair brushed neatly into curtains and he wore black trousers and a black top. The black top was normally matched with his blue jean jacket, but today it was in the wash because Keero had got it rather dirty while climbing and falling from the tree in the back garden. "If you stop moving maybe it won't take so long and you can go and play with the others." Frank grumbled as he tried to line up two wires that were broken.

"Sorry dad, but I can't help it." Keero replied innocently. Keero was designed for the military, and so had a variety of weapons but because of Keero's playful nature Frank had disarmed all of his weapons until he was ready to use them. Keero didn't mind not being able to use his weapons because he didn't need them and had enough fun playing with the other androids. He heard someone walking down the stairs so he turned round so he could see who it was. It was Fern. Fern was Frank's first creation and Keero big sister. As usual she wore her favourite little green dress and black stockings. She was about the same height as Frank and had green eyes that always seemed to sparkle. Her long dark purple was almost black and it swung freely just above her hips. Fern always had a smile on her face and that was what Keero loved about her so much, no matter what happened her smile could always make him feel better.

"Keep still Keero." Frank scowled. Keero smiled and kept still. He could hear Fern giggling. "Don't encourage the lad Fern. I have enough trouble keeping him still without you here."

"Sorry father, but Elva is at the door, she said she has to talk to you. What shall I tell her?" Fern asked.

"I'm almost finish, tell her to wait upstairs…" He looked at Fern. "Oh and be a love and pass me the soldering iron, it seems that our little Keero has gone and broke a few wires." Keero smiled guiltily at his father.

"I take it you still haven't installed the sliquid?" Fern asked causally while passing her creator the soldering iron.

"I was going to do it after I've fixed this, but I'll do it after I talked to our Elva."

Frank went upstairs into the living room and left Keero and Fern in his workshop. Fern was laughing at Keero as he tried to tie his shoelaces. His white trainers were stained by the tree bark and the shoelaces were nearly shredded making it very hard to tie his shoelaces correctly. "Here, let me do them." Fern offered but as she went to tie his laces for him Keero pulled his foot away.

"I can do it…" He pouted, and then went back trying to untangle the shoelaces from his fingers.

"Get two hoops and then tie them together." Fern instructed him. Keero got two hoops and tied them together and once he was satisfied with the results he went to his other shoe. Once he had completed his minor little task he stood up.

"Fern…" Keero said quietly.

"Yes Keero."

"When I grow up I want to be just like you."

"I hate to brake it to you, but you're not going to grow any taller then you are now."

"You know what I mean, when I completed I will act just like you."

"Do what you want little bro, but I'll remember that when we have our next argument." Fern smiled, it was her smile that made Keero feel safe. Keero laughed.

"Who's is Elva?"

"I'm sure you'll meet her later, I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise for ya'. Do you want me to help you clean your bedroom?"

"It doesn't need tidied." Keero objected, but Fern gave him a long stern look. "Okay, maybe it does a little."

"Don't worry, I'll help you but on one condition."

"Yeah?"

"Don't climb anymore trees until you're fully completed, with these little delays father won't have time to install your weapons or sort out your bugs." Keero started to object, but he knew it was no good so he gave in.

Keero was in his bedroom; Fern had insisted that he tidy everything up properly. Even with her help it took what seemed forever, Keero didn't see the reason why he should clean his bedroom because as soon as he gets a new toy or loses something it would just end up in a mess again. He only tided it yesterday and already it was there were a few of his clothes that had been flung on the floor. Keero pondered on this in his bedroom when all of a sudden the alarm sounded. He rushed into the garden where all his brothers and sisters were lined up. Unlike yesterday it was a dreary day and thick unfriendly rain cloud threatened rain. Frank looked sad; Keero was about to ask what was wrong when he noticed an ugly black cloud of smoke rising from the direction of the city. "Planet Hyouk has launched a surprise attack on our planet, and Lord Rancho had ordered all the warrior androids to help defend our planet. I'm not ordering any of you to fight, and if you don't want to go that's fine. But all those willing to fight step forward." Without hesitation all the androids stepped forward, even Keero. Fern was holding Keero's hand as they stepped forward, anything she done he would do too. Tears of pride ran down Frank's face as he looked at his children. "Alright then." He recovered. "Get ready and go into the city where you will join the rest of the Jeray army. They will give you your orders from then on…" All the androids were about to leave, when Frank stopped them. "I just want to say I very proud of all of you." Keero and Fern turned away to get ready when Frank walked up to them.

"Are you alright father?" Fern sounded very concerned for their father. Frank stale tears could still be seen on his pale cheeks and even more unshed tears moistened his eyes.

"Fern, Keero must stay here with me…" Frank looked at Keero and smiled. "We got some unfinished work to do."

"Of course father, I'll see you when this is over. Bye father, bye Keero." Fern kissed them both fondly on their cheeks and ran off to join the rest of her brothers and sisters.

"But I want to go with them." Keero objected. Frank picked him and started to wave to his children.

"You can't go with them. I'll install your weapons and then I'll tell you what you have to do." Frank replied sadly, Keero didn't like where things were going and he had the weirdest feeling that he may never see Fern or any of his brothers and sisters again.

"I want to go with Fern and the others, I need to protect them. I need to go with them, let me go father, I can help them." Keero screamed and kicked but Frank ignored him and carried him into the house.

Frank just finished installing Keero's weapons, when a banging came from upstairs. Frank quickly lifted Keero off the table and opened a trapped door. "Keero, listen to me carefully. I want you to stay in here for a week, no more and no less. After a week you must report to Lord Rancho. No matter what you hear in the meantime you mustn't leave this hiding place And if you meet any of the enemies don't fight them, just run and get to Rancho's place." Frank firmly told Keero. He put Keero into his hiding place.

"What's happening dad?" Keero asked. Frank just smiled at him.

"Nothing much, everything will be alright soon Keero. Now just do as I've told you."

"But…" Keero started to object as Frank was about to close the trapdoor.

"But nothing, that's an order Keero. Don't disappoint me." Frank shut the trapdoor, leaving Keero in total darkness, and ran upstairs.

Only a thin beam of dusty light that seeped through a crack in the floor boards separated Keero from absolute darkness, Keero could hear heavy footsteps that sounded like a stampede of elephants above his head and it also sounded like things were being broken. Suddenly Keero heard a painful scream, but remembering his orders he stayed where he was. Then he heard someone coming down the stairs, whoever in was started to smash up Frank's workshop. Keero cringed in his hiding place and he covered his mouth so that his whimpering wouldn't make any noise. Keero couldn't see anything when he tried to look through the floorboards but whatever it was it wasn't friendly, he heard violent laughter from above that sent a shiver up his spine; Keero cuddled his knees and started to rock back and forth in the dark. He just had to keep this up for one week and every thing would be back to the way it was.

In was hard to tell the difference between night and day, but he had his watch on him so he was able to keep track of time. The noise didn't stop for three whole days, but before the week had ended the noise had went away completely. At last what seemed forever had past and Keero climbed out of his hiding place. The workshop had been completely trashed, and all of Frank's books and records were missing. Keero slowly walked up the stairs, it was the first bit of light Keero had seen in a week and it hurt his eyes. He looked in the living room; it had also been trashed so he ran into the kitchen the same thing had happened there. Keero ran upstairs into Frank's bedroom, hoping to find him there. He was there; he was lying motionless on the floor. Keero slowly walked up to Frank, he wasn't breathing. Keero knelt beside him, Frank had blood on his clothes. It was the first time Keero had ever saw blood so he didn't know how serious it was. "Dad? Are you okay?" There was no answer. "Dad?" There was still no answer. "Daddy, wake up." Keero couldn't believe what was happening. "Daddy you stay here and I'll get some help, Fern will know what to do." Keero lifted Frank onto the bed and tucked him in, and then he ran out of the room and into Fern's room. There was no one there and like all the other rooms in the house it had been trashed. Suddenly Keero remembered his orders, so he decided to ask Lord Rancho for help. He ran out of the house, all the other houses around him had been either burnt out or been raided. There was a misty atmosphere that seemed to be dripping with rain and grit. Keero was unaware of the puddles and mud as he ran as fast as his legs would permit him.

Keero came bursting into Lord Rancho's house, the guards tried to hold him back but he easily tossed them aside with one swipe of his hand. Finally he found Rancho in his study, he was looking at some papers. "Sir, something terrible has happened. My father is not moving or breathing and Fern and the others are gone and I can't find them. You got to help me." Keero almost shrieked. He had been drenched in the rain and he was covered in grit and dirt from the burning debris outside. Rancho recognized Keero straight away from the time he visited Frank and even though Keero looked about fifteen he was still a child.

"I'm sorry Keero, but your father and the others are dead. They all died when the Hyoukyos attacked the planet."

"Dead? I don't understand, they can't be, and they're not allowed to be. I need them."

"I'm sorry Keero, but its true. Is there anything I can do?" Rancho asked gently, his heart was full of sympathy as he looked into Keero's eyes.

"No because they're not dead, they're just hiding that's all. I'll find them, I know all their favourite hiding places." Keero shook his head with disbelief. He looked around him as though he the room was his enemy, took one more look at Rancho and then ran out of the house and all the way back to his home.

He sat in his tree in the back garden. The air was filled with gritty smoke, grief and blood. Many fires still burned in the city, the horizon was dull and blurry making it seem almost night instead of day. Birds refused to sing and everything was deadly quiet, it was the quietest he had ever heard his beautiful city and Keero didn't like it. Unable to cry and grieve he became angry, his grip round a branch became tighter until it finally crunched in his hand, the splinters of woods bounced off the lower branches until they hit the cold ground below. Keero could feel the branch on which he sat start to creak and bend but he made no attempt to move instead he let it brake, and like the splinters of wood, the young android went crashing to the cold hard ground. He laid there, the thick branch sticking in his side and leaves surrounded him, and waited. He knew that Fern would no longer come rushing up to him to help nor would his father repair him but he waited nonetheless. Silver blood trickled from a cut on his forehead and onto the floor, Keero ignored it, he ignored all the pain in his body but not in his heart.

Rancho sat in his study with his head in his hand. Many people had died including his friends and he grieved for them all. The Hyoukyos had been driven away but nothing could ever be what it was like before, too many lives had been ruined. He thought about Frank and his children, they had become like family to him over the years and he would miss every one of them. But not everyone was dead, he had to pull himself together and prepare himself for the rebuilding of his planet, his military and burying the dead along with this war and the past. He sighed sadly and put on his heavy black coat, gloves and hat and walked down the corridor and out of his house. Like he always did he completely ignored his own protectors and told them to `shove off, and leave him be'.

He wanted to find Keero; the image of the broken-hearted young lad running from his room was all he could think about. He stepped up the huge mansion, once some beautiful and loved it now looked old and forgotten. Windows were broken, the door had been bashed open and the brick looked grey instead of it's usual red splendour. "Keero?" Rancho called but there was no answer. He walked further into the house and was disgusted with what he saw. While many guard had protected his home this one had not. The valuables had been stolen and such things such as books and cheap items were charred black in piles where small fires had been lit. It was lucky that the whole place did not burn down. He walked up the familiar stairs and went into the first room on his right, which he knew was Frank's. He saw his friend lying in his bed, the sheets had become red with blood and he stared unblinking above him. Rancho staggered toward the bed and with a trembling hand he closed Frank's eyes. He was the leader of a planet, possibly one of the most powerful men in the universe but he was unable to stop the coming of this battle, the deaths of his friends. "She was right," He sobbed "That old witch was right. I hoped to god she wasn't but she was." Suddenly Rancho heard a cry filled with grief and anger coming from outside. He wiped the tears from his eyes and looked towards the window. "I will do what you asked, Keero will be safe with me. I promise old friend, I will protect that boy."

Rancho had found Keero in the garden lying amongst leaves and branches. When he offered his hand to help him up Keero refused it and turned away his head. "If I lay here long enough maybe they will come back to help and everything will be like it was before." Keero whispered half to himself. Rancho felt a lump in his throat, to see such a fine creation in such a pitiful state wrenched his heart and a tear ran down his cheek.

"Keero they're not coming back. Frank, I mean your father wanted you to live with me for a while, so please lets go home?"

"I am home. But if you're my master and you want to come with you, I must go." He reluctantly pulled himself to his feet and stood waiting for Rancho to say or do something else.

"I suppose I am. Very well then Keero, I do want you to come home with me." Rancho finally said.

"Yes sir."

Keero joined the military a year after the terrible war between Jeray and Hyouk. His playful nature had been replaced with the bitter anger. Keero hardly ever spoke and never smiled. Rancho was his master now and even though he was a great master and friend he could never replace Frank. Over the years Keero became really close friends with Rancho and eventually Keero began to smile and joke again, but he would never be the same playful android he was. Keero still hated the Hyoukyos and he vowed that he would one day punish them all for what they had done to his family.

Thirty years had pasted since the attack, peace had returned to the planet but Keero still had the bitter taste of revenge. Rancho was please with Keero; in the past twenty-nine years he had prevented two wars using his intelligence, successfully completed seven missions and had been his most valuable spy. It was another fine summer day when Keero was asked to report to Rancho's office, he knocked twice and entered the room. Rancho's study was painted a rich red and royal blue carpet. As usual the room smelled of food, not any food in particular but more of a mixed smell of breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks all rolled up into one delicious smell. The room was always tided and hardly any dust could be found, this was mainly because Rancho was often bored and cleaning his study was the only thing he could do. The sun shone brightly through Rancho's window and settled on his desk. Birds that sat on a tree outside could be heard like a sweet melody that played. Rancho's face was tired and his blue eyes had black rings forming underneath. He was an ordinary looking man; he had white hair and a neatly trimmed beard of matching colour. He wore a black pair of trousers and a blue t-shirt, not the kind of clothes you would expect a leader of a planet to wear but there again Rancho was no ordinary leader. His face expressionless as he looked at Keero, and this always meant bad news. Keero hated it when he was like this because Keero guess what was wrong. "I have some news on our friends. Please sit down, I have a feeling that you are not going to react to this very well." Rancho voice was rough; it was the result of another very late night. Keero sat down; his young face looking anxious half expecting Rancho to scold him. "Don't worry lad, you're not in trouble. It's about the Hyoukyos, it has been reported that after the war a small group landed on another planet. Since then they have multiplied into a whole colony and we need some one to seek them out and find out what they're up to. I want you to help." Keero was pleased; a wide devilish grin appeared on his face. "I'm trusting you Keero, don't spoil it by killing the lot of them before we know what they are up to."

"Yes sir. May I ask a favour of you Rancho?"

"Certainly Keero."

"Sir, may I request that I should me assigned to this mission alone?"

"Keero, this will be dangerous and you too valuable to lose, but I know you can handle this," Rancho sighed and carried on, "you may go alone, but you need to be careful. You can't let your anger carry you away sometimes but I'm sure you don't need supervision." Rancho smiled at Keero, he was more then an android he was his best friend.

"Thank you Rancho, you won't regret this!" Keero full of excitement, he was nearly jumping on the spot. Rancho laughed, he has never seen Keero this happy since before Frank died. All of a sudden Rancho remembered something.

"Keero, your appearance may confuse the Earthlings…"

"I'll handle it. Don't worry old friend." Keero replied quickly. Rancho knew he was right but somehow it didn't stop him from worrying.

"One day we're going to have a long chat about the word `old', and your use of it." Rancho replied acidly, even though he was in fact, quite old, he didn't enjoy being reminded.

"Whatever you say my old friend." Keero teased. "May I ask which planet you are shipping me off to this time?"

"Planet Earth."