GIANT FREAKIN' ROBOTS

GIANT FREAKIN' ROBOTS part 8: The Wizard of Z

"Eldy? Eldridge?" Lumin smiled hearing Roundstone's nickname. "No! It's fine, stay," Andrew seemed a little naive but he was sweet.

"Do you mind if I take off my pants?"

"I kind of do," said Lumin, raising an eyebrow.

"I have basketball shorts underneath this. Eldy wanted me to dress up a little so you wouldn't think I was just some dude who sneaked on the plane."

"Go ahead, get comfortable," said Lumin.

"Sweet," said Andrew. He pulled off his slacks revealing a long pair of basketball shorts. He had a Godzilla t-shirt beneath his dress shirt.

Lumin looked down, noticing he had decided to keep on his dress shoes and black socks.

"Forgot to bring my kicks," said Andrew.

"How old are you, Andrew?" asked Lumin.

"22, you?"

"Add ten," said Lumin. She took another sip. "Damn, this is good."

"Being hella rich, Eldy only gets the best--at least I assume so--I stick to beer usually."

"How long have you been Eldy...Eldridge's assistant? Are you two...?" asked Lumin, raising an eyebrow.

Andrew chortled with surprise. "Oh! No no no...strictly professional! I've been Eldy's P.A. for about a year. A While back I submitted some artwork to his Roundstone Foundation to try and win a scholarship. I didn't win, but afterwards Eldy called me up personally and put me under retainer for a massive art piece at Z."

"Z?"

"It's the name of his compound."

"Oh, I see. What kind of art do you do?"

Andrew grinned. "He lets me do whatever I want. I'll show you when we get to the compound. It's developed into an ongoing project. Eldy felt a little guilty about it taking up so much of my time, so he bought my diploma for me and decided to keep me around as his P.A. until we decide the project is complete."

Lumin squinted. "He bought your degree?"

Andrew smiled. "Yeah, I mean, it's just a bachelor's of art so its kind of worthless anyway. It's not like I'm going to be cutting people open or building rocket engines so relax."

"I'm cool, it's all good," said Lumin, trying not to laugh.

"I think we're going to land soon."

"Already?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna go up and talk to the pilot for sec. I like you Lumin...you're hot and smart but you don't seem judgey or stuck-up," said Andrew, standing up.

Lumin watched her new acquaintance stroll to the front of the plane. She leaned back in her seat, feeling uneasy. Do weirdos just flock to me? Am I in some kind of searchable database?

Minutes later, Lumin felt the plane begin its descent. She slid open the plastic window shade, watching the sunset bathe the low hills in the distance with golden light. The plane soared over a valley densely packed with short, bushy trees until a massive estate came into view, featuring two identical mansions at its center. The pair of huge homes sat among lush green landscaping dotted with topiaries and marble fountains. Dozens of large warehouses were lining the edge of the campus.

Lumin bounced as the jet's tires touched down to the runway. "We're here," said Andrew, emerging from the cockpit. "You're going to like Z. Want me to ask the pilot if we can use the inflatable emergency slide? It's hella fun."

"No, the stairs are fine," said Lumin. After the G8 rolled to a stop, she followed Andrew down the steps to the runway, where the pilot was waiting with a smile. He brushed his grey mustache as Lumin's heels clicked over the concrete.