The nice guy

  Kay laughed, a cruel, cutting sound. "Dra, no matter how nice you are or how much you try, you will never have a woman like me. You need to go back to those odd people who think you're worth something."

  ?Drake’s metal roses fell from his hands, clattering onto the sidewalk. The ringing noise of the metal hitting the concrete was nothing compared to the pain of her laughter, each sound cutting him deeper.

  ?"But you told me you love me," he whispered, falling to his knees. "You told me you wanted to be with me."

  ?Kay looked over her shoulder, a dark look in her eyes. She turned back, looking down at him as if he were dirt. "Are you kidding me? You are nothing. You are nobody. You were just a used thing." She flicked her hair back. "My new man is what a woman really wants. He’s strong and fit and makes money, and he doesn't care about what happened."

  ?She turned and walked away, leaving Drake kneeling on the hard, hot sidewalk. He felt the pain shoot through his knees, but it was nothing next to the cold darkness that began to wrap around him.

  ?

  ?Slowly, Drake stood. He walked back to the storage unit where he kept his metal forge, shutting off the gas and power, and locking up. His car was nothing special—a 1970 AMC Gremlin—but it got him to work and home.

  ?That night, he drove to his favorite spot: Mech Bar, themed after anime and robot movies. Robot Jox, a film from the early 90s, played on the big screen behind the bar.

  ?He tried to smile as he walked up to the counter. Relena, one of the best women he’d ever met, always told him the truth, no chaser. She saw his face and knew immediately what had happened. His drink—a "Self Destruction," a mix of whiskey, ginger ale, and grenadine—was already waiting.

  ?Her smile was one of the best things he’d ever felt, bright and warm, pushing the darkness back and filling him with a flicker of joy.

  ?"Okay, so what happened?" she said, setting the glass in front of him. "And if it's that skanky ho, I'm going to rip her apart and shit so far down her throat her ancestors will taste it."

  ?Drake just looked at her, managing a weak smile. Tears filled his eyes, but he pushed them back. "Seven years, Relena. She was my one and only. I even had this for her."

  ?He pulled a small box from his pocket. Relena took it and opened it, her eyes widening. She drew a sharp breath at the sight inside: a multi-colored metal ring, intricate and beautiful, set with blue gems and crystals.

  ?"They're gems and crystals from an asteroid that landed nearby," Drake murmured.

  ?Relena was silent for a moment. She looked up at him, her usual jokes gone. "Drake, I have never bullshitted you. If I were not already married to my wife, and you gave me this, I would say yes."

  ?

  ?"You’d say yes to what, you sexy drop of sweetness?" a loud voice bellowed from behind him.

  ?Drake turned to see Noko walking toward the bar. She was a commanding seven-foot-six, fit, and wearing a cop uniform. She wrapped powerful arms around Drake, squeezing him firmly. The scent of ozone and ammonia drifted off her.

  ?"I saw what happened at the park," Noko growled. "I wanted to shoot that bitch. She did you so wrong, Drake."

  ?Relena handed Noko the ring box. The look on Noko’s face shifted to surprise, then pure, burning anger. The fire in her eyes made her hands shake.

  ?"Did you make this for her? Are you fucking kidding me? No, I will shoot her. I can and make it look like a misfire." She closed the box and handed it back.

  ?"Drakeo, why not take our offer?" Relena said, resting a hand on his back. "We're both bisexual, remember? We both love you, and we hate seeing you in so much pain by these tramps."

  ?"You mean those skanky hoes who would never know what a real guy is," Noko corrected.

  ?

  ?Drake closed the box and put it back in his pocket. Just as he did, his phone vibrated. It was his family lawyer.

  ?"Mr. Dragonis, this is Mr. Goodfull," a scratchy, old voice said over the line. "I have some bad news. Your grandfather has passed, and we need you to come to my office for his will reading."

  ?The shock hit Drake like a physical blow. His grandfather, who always told him stories about giant robots that could become human and amazing adventures, was gone.

  ?The pain was immense. He fell from the stool; the pain in his knees was nothing compared to the burning agony in his heart.

  ?He was barely conscious as Relena and Noko held him, carrying him out and helping him into the back of Relena’s SUV. Why did my grandfather have to die? Why did Kay leave me? He screamed inwardly, closing his eyes, letting the darkness consume him.

  ?

  ?Drake woke up in his bed, still wearing his clothes from yesterday, moving in a zombie-like haze. He felt nothing.

  ?He found Relena and Noko asleep in his living room. He walked to the kitchen and started the coffee pot. The warmth of the machine was enticing. He started to reach for the heat, desperate to feel anything but the void.

  ?Noko’s hand slapped his away. She hugged him instantly, knowing exactly what to look for. Relena hugged him from behind, the warmth of both women finally seeping in and wrapping around him.

  ?A thunderous knock rattled the door.

  ?Drake opened it to find Mr. Goodfull, hunched and pale, looking stressed.

  ?"Mr. Goodfull, the will reading is today," Drake said.

  ?Mr. Goodfull shuffled inside. "That was three days ago, Mr. Dragonis."

  ?Drake just sat down. The girls sat with him. Mr. Goodfull opened his briefcase and pulled out three things: a book, a stone necklace, and a set of keys. "The bus will be here in one day," he said, handing Drake a check for $2.5 million and a note. "You can read that after I leave."

  ?After Mr. Goodfull left, Noko read the note aloud:

  ?To my best friend and grandson, if you are reading this, it means I have died and am not coming back. My life was a great adventure, but when you came, it was even better... I leave you my adventure book—write down all of yours—a check to help you get supplies, and the key to my adventure bus. It might need to be upgraded, but it will help. And the key to open the portal to an adventure."

  ?Noko laughed, then another knock came. It was a man in black with a clipboard for the bus delivery.

  ?

  ?The three of them went downstairs. The bus was a wreck: scratches, dents, burn marks. "Damn, this thing looks like it has gone to war and back," Noko said.

  ?Drake opened the door. The smell of burning and metal flowed out. Inside was a beat-up RV interior. They walked to the back, past a tiny bathroom, and saw it on the bed: a robot covered in black armor.

  ?Drake dropped everything. The book fell open to a picture of the robot, and the stone necklace flew out, glowing green. It slammed into the center of the robot’s chest.

  ?Lazerlot started to cough, coming awake. He sat up and looked at them. The three of them fainted.

  ?Lazerlot shook his head. Metal manipulated beneath their bodies, placing them on the couch and benches. He walked over to an old computer, touched it, and his eyes began to glow. As he connected to the internet, his armor, the bus, and his own systems all began to upgrade. The rust disappeared, the bus expanded, and the engine became electric.

  ?He learned of his friend's death, and he smiled at Drake's file, knowing he would protect the grandson like he did the grandfather. He looked at Relena and Noko, and a memory flashed, causing his shoulder to burn. He snapped back to the present.

  ?

  ?Drake was the first to wake, blinking his vision into focus. Lazerlot now stood six feet tall, his black armor upgraded to look like Special Forces body armor.

  ?"My name is Lazerlot. I was your grandfather's companion and guardian," the robot said. "You know, he used to tell me stories about how you and him would travel to worlds in the Blocken Galaxy, the galaxy that separates my world from a galaxy that eats worlds. Right, Drake?"

  ?Lazerlot smiled. Relena and Noko blinked awake. Noko’s first reaction was to reach for a knife.

  ?Lazerlot laughed, turning to face her. "P3 Officer Noko Moko, former E7 Coast Guard Task Force Gungnir, a task force specializing in counter-intelligence and trafficking of slaves."

  ?The look on Noko's face was a study in shock; this thing had hacked top-secret classified information.

  ?"Relena Yuy, daughter of the Peacecraft family, set to inherit the wealthiest family legacy," Lazerlot continued, looking at Relena.

  ?"Stand down, Noko, please!" Drake yelled.

  ?Noko saw the plea in her friend's eyes, and the change in him. She dropped her guard, but the look she shot Lazerlot was pure "fuck around and find out."

  ?"You have upgraded," Relena observed. "You’re not the same as you were."

  ?"Yes, when I connected with the internet, it gave me the ability to upgrade my systems and my gear," Lazerlot said, patting his pistol.

  ?Noko gave him a test. "If you are a friend, would you mind dropping your magazine and leaving only one round in?"

  ?Lazerlot looked at her and nodded. He pulled out his pistol and clicked a button. A box-like mag slid out with a heavy thud. Noko picked it up—it weighed close to 15 pounds. The rounds looked like grenade shells.

  ?"What would these be the equivalent to the rounds we use in this world?" Noko asked.

  ?Lazerlot thought for a moment. "If I have to compare them... those would be nine millimeter."

  ?Noko was completely shocked. She realized a round like the 30-caliber would be the size of a tank shell in this robot’s world.

  ?"How can you hold all that ammo at the size you are?"

  ?"My dear, I am much bigger in my world," Lazerlot smiled.

  ?Drake picked up his grandfather's journal. On the first page was a picture of a younger Lazerlot. He flipped through the book, reading about his grandfather’s team. A passage caught his eye: "Each team member has a biological form."

  ?"Excuse me, Lazerlot... sir? I have a question," Drake asked.

  ?Lazerlot turned around and smirked. "Drake, I work for a living. Please don't call me sir. Just call me LT if you have to."

  ?"LT, please. If you're a true lieutenant, you would prefer us on the plan and operations," Noko said, putting the heavy mag in the new bathroom, giving Lazerlot another challenging look.

  ?Relena smirked, knowing Noko was trying to establish boundaries. She knew she had to act as the referee and translator for Drake, because things were about to get intense.