THE first moon had ended. Shishi hadn’t done anything alone since Tats’ threat. The only thing he could do by himself was work on his robot which was already close to being finished.

Dada had only spoken to him when asking for something and they’d had none of their usual conversations nor had they gone on any missions together. Keke had been off his back, tailing others the big guys were concerned with until Tats’ agendas were all fulfilled and all that was left was to put everything together.

Joko had finished the generators the day before the end of the first moon. They were fixed to the ship that the other Matoki had been assembling and they both purred when the ship was fired up.

Joko moved on to the orb. He slipped his hand into the magnetic field and brought it up to the orb, pulling it from the container.

He was captivated as he admired it before a loud clatter brought him back. “Yah! Keke! What are you doing!?” The other Matoki had knocked over a tray of tools that had been specially laid out. Joko quickly and carefully replaced the orb and pressed the small button.

His mind always became fixated when he was working, whirring like the machines, fascinated by how they worked, why they worked and how he could fix them or make them better. He took the tray from Keke who’d hurriedly put the tools back before he was scolded further. Joko moved to  an island bench and placed the tray down. As he washed the tools, repreparing them, he revered at the shine of each implement and how special each was, designed for its own unique purpose and no other.

He washed his own paws as well and took the tray back to the central table. From a draw beneath, he took out several assortments of metal and wires and, from the draw below that, a blueprint.

His eyes raked over the metal and he sighed contently as the right pieces called him and caught his attention. He felt the rough surface on his hands and relished in his ability to create something from such raw material. After studying the design he moved over the welder. He alerted the others of his plans as he donned his protective gear. He pulled up the welder and knew it was a powerful tool. His muscles tensed from the memory of using it.

He smiled when he worked, joining piece after piece and finally creating a large, hollow, metal ball with a hatch on one side and holes littered on the face. He took off his gear and returned to the table, placing the sphere behind the other pieces of metal and wire he’d taken out earlier. He fiddled and fondled inside the sphere until he had wired it and fixed a button the outside, big and orange. He welded another smaller sphere, also with a hatch and holes, and fitted tubes into the spaces. He matched up the tubes with the holes of the outer sphere so that small rays of light punctured the inner ball, all the while his mind caught up and absorbed in the complexity and intricacy of his work.

He huffed from the long hours, noticing that he was alone and what was once morning had fallen to dusk. He moved back over to the small table he’d been at hours earlier and pressed the button for the final time. In the same manner as before, he slipped his hand beneath and up to the orb, releasing it from the magnetic prison. Carefully he strode to the spheres and sat where he’d spent most of his day.

The orb was incandescent in the night glow. Joko took a deep breath as he inched the orb closer to the inner sphere. He placed it into the centre of the two balls, and as he predicted, the wiring and metal had created their own field and the orb floated effortlessly. He closed the hatches and the orb’s light shone through the tubes, forming its own tubes of bright white light and throwing large circles onto the roof. The orb was the power source of his new machine, even as a weapon on its own. He let out the breath he’d unconsciously held.

He placed the blueprint back in its draw as with the left over wire and metal.  Joko closed his eyes and sighed. His moment of silence was broken by a clang and a grunt. He lifted one lid to see the red masked Matoki clutching one of his feet and slamming a wrench onto the table. When he noticed Joko staring he put his foot back down and moved over quietly. The shadow of his ears cut into a circle of light on the roof.

His solemn look was only broken by his lips. “So this it? What they want me to use?” Joko opened both his eyes and nodded slowly.

Shishi moved to touch it, but let his hand hover, dancing across it without feeling the cool metallic surface. He sighed silently and dropped his hand. Joko picked up the sphere, feeling his muscles react to the weight as he grunted but it disappeared a little and he noticed Shishi’s hands next to his.

Joko indicated the ship and they moved together. The chink of metal was deafening in the quiet as they moved up the ramp of the ship and into the bay. The only thing occupying this space was some seats with harnesses against the far wall and a tall sealed cylinder in the centre. Joko knocked a button with his elbow and the cylinder opened revealing a cavity just big enough for the sphere. They hauled it in and watched as it fell into place, a larger version of the orb and its container in the desk.

Joko peeked at his friend. “Good luck Shishi.” He clapped him on the shoulder and left. When Joko’s steps had faded, a tear rolled over Shishi’s cheek until he wiped it away. He admired and loathed the sphere that sat contently and silently in the cylinder, commanding but indifferent in its space. He moved closer and slid his hand around the large tube until he found the button. The door whooshed passed his nose.

His mind crowded with memories again but he dismissed them quickly as he turned away, letting resolve fill him until he knew all his doubts were gone, banished. All he could do now was have faith in those determined to punish him.

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Here's to the.....well.....actually it's the longest chapter, even though it doesn't look long >.< but i hope you're enjoying it ^-^

I'm sorry if it's disappointing how short they are, I just don't know what else to put in them :( but ah i'm trying to make the actual story good anyways

thankyou for reading and stuff <3