Flesh and Bolts AU

Chapter 9: No Spare Parts Left

"Oh, that was great, psychic friend! Now say, 'Money should be falling from the sky!'" Fender raised his hands in the air with hope. "Say it! Say it!" He clung to Rodney while sobbing.

As it turned out, every bot in the crowd had headed down to Jack Hammer's shop. They had one thing in their minds: spare parts.

"Sorry, folks! All sold out! Nothing but upgrades from here on in!" Jack addressed the crowd. A truck with Ratchet's smug face and his new quote pulled up to the shop.

"But I like myself just the way I am," one of the robots claimed before her lightbulb broke.

"We can't afford upgrades!" Another declared.

"Let's get him!" A bigger robot held up a trash can, but he opened up before he could throw him.

"Hey, hey! What are you doing?! Don't throw me!" The trash can bot yelled.

Just as Rodney, Alli, Blue, and the Rusties rushed towards them to hear the commotion better, the bot spotted Rodney.

"Isn't that the guy who fixed Fender's neck?" He pointed at him as they stopped in their tracks.

"Yeah, that guy fixes bots!" another yelled. The bigger bot dropped the trash can bot as the crowd began to approach the Rusties. They had heard about Rodney's great deed.

"Yeah, that kid can help ya!" Jack announced, relieved that the attention wasn't on him anymore.

"Brace yourselves. You're about to be very popular," Fender muttered to Rodney.

The crowd got closer to them now. Alli gently took hold of Rodney's arm, but he didn't shake her away. Instead, he stood in front of her protectively.

"Only those with insurance!" At Fender's words, the crowd stopped. "Oh, I forgot. Everybody, c'mon!" The bots soon stopped close to where the Rusties are standing.

However, when they took a closer look at Alli and Blue standing with the Rusties, they stopped completely, their eyes written with fear. Alli didn't need to ask, for she released her hold on Rodney's arm and stepped forward. When she did, most of the crowd gasped with terror and took a few steps back. She didn't blame them at all, she understood how scared they were.

"Don't worry. Blue and I, we're here to help," Alli explained tenderly, gesturing to herself and Blue. The soft perseverance in her eyes was all it took for the bots to relax, but they still held their guard up around her.

"Parts, man! I need parts!" A hunched-over teal-blue bot approached Rodney pleadingly.

"You don't look that–" the bot soon fell apart to the ground before Rodney could finish. "Bad..."

The bots looked at the fallen robot before one of them looked up. "Hey, everybody. Spare parts!" In their desperation, the rioting bots started to pick away at the metal carcass on the ground.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait a minute!" Rodney shouted. Fortunately, they all stopped to look at him. "What the hell is wrong with you robots?!"

"You should all be ashamed of yourselves!" Fender backed him up. It was a powerful statement, which would have been more convincing if he had not been wearing two noses.

Rodney, Wonderbot, Alli, and Blue glanced at him confused and agitated. "Why do you have two noses?" Rodney asked Fender as Wonderbot glared at him.

"One's for showing, one's for blowing," Fender chuckled.

Wonderbot squeaked and hit him in the back of the head, which sent the nose flying off. "Sorry," Fender said sheepishly. Blue stifled a laugh before Rodney and Alli glimpsed at her sternly.