Ray just stared in disbelief at the blue man. He was equally shocked by what Zum had said.
" Son??? I am not your son! No way! And what planet are you from?"
" He is from the planet Zi - Alor, as am I." Darmo had been standing behind Ray.
Ray turned around in surprise at the sound of the strange, mechanical voice. His eyes widened. He backed slowly away, then grabbed a baseball bat that had been in the wash room, next to the door.
" I don't know what you are.. or who either of you are.. but both of you, keep away from me!" he shouted.
" Ray! Put that thing down. This is Darmo. He saved my life twice in one day. He's here to help, as is Professor Zum."
Carol put her hand on the baseball bat, and gently pushed it down. Ray let it drop to the floor, where it made a loud klonking noise.
" Professor..what did you mean by " You're my son"? I was born here on Earth, not on some planet called Zee Altor."
" That's Zi - Alor." Darmo corrected.
" I suggest we go upstairs to your living room."
The three humans walked up the stairs, with Darmo providing illumination by projecting beams of light from his eyes. Ray took a few minutes to get his emergency generator going, and the lights came back on.
" You can turn off the headlights, now, Darmo." He told the tall, silver robot, who did so immediately. Ray made his usual smart ass jokes, but Carol could see that he was actually quite agitated.
" Must be a power failure here. I'll call the LA power company and ask when they'll have the electricity back on. " Ray took his cell phone from his pocket. He could not dial the call. The readout simply said, " No signal."
" Hey, what's going on?" he asked.
" Um, Ray, let's deal with that later. I think the Professor has a few things he needs to discuss with you, now." Carol told her brother. It was still night. Ray could not see the devastation outside. There were other issues to deal with first.
The four settled into the now lit living room. Ray took a beer out of the fridge and offered one to Carol and the Professor, who both accepted.
Carol and Zum sat on the couch, Darmo just stood, and Ray sat in his recliner.
" Okay, Prof, start from the beginning, please." Ray was very calm considering what he had just heard and saw. He had always been mature as a child; now, at 25, he was more mature than most men his age.
" Thank you, son... I mean, Ray. Well, about 25 years ago, my son, Darmo, had discovered a plot by the government to take away my robotics corporation away from me. This was due to their war with another country. We had exhausted our resources... too many young men had died in the decades long war, so, they started using robots to wage their senseless war, which was over mining rights to the precious power jewels which provide energy for our entire planet."
The professor took a drink from his beer.
" Very good, this Earth beer. Anyway, my son was seen over hearing the plan to take my company away.. he was shot getting away from the men who'd planned on taking my life's work away from me.... " A tear welled up in Zum's eye.
" He took his air car and managed to get to my office and tell me of all this just before he died. I... electronically transferred his memories and thoughts into my finest creation, a battle robot with a conscience, and named him after my poor son. "
" But, there are gaps in my own memory.. who or what could have caused that?" The Professor grew silent. His facial expression was indicative of deep thought.
Carol sat there in confusion. She looked up at Ray, who also had a rather confused look about him.
She gestured towards the Playboy and Penthouse magazines on his coffee table. Ray blushed and put them under the recliner.
The Professor took another small device out from his jacket pocket. He made an adjustment on it, then turned it on himself. It bathed his head in a greenish glow. After about a minute of this, he put the little gadget away, a stunned look on his face now.
" I remember! I know the whole truth."
" Well?" said Ray and Carol in unison. Darmo, too, wished to know everything.
My son was not dead when I made the transfer to Darmo's electronic brain. I thought he was... but, rather than let him live with no memory of who he was or what he was.. I used my machines to turn him into a day old infant. I decided to hide him on Earth, where he would be safe from my government. I turned him caucasian, so that he would be accepted as human. "
" It's too far fetched." Ray stood up. " It's bullshit."
" I understand your scepticism. I can prove it."
With that statement, the Professor pulled out another small device.
" Hold still... this won't hurt a bit."
" Hey! Wait a minute! I ..."
But it was too late. Zum pressed a small button on the device, which shone a blue light onto Ray.
" Oh my God!" Carol shouted.
" What?? What?" Ray said, after the device was turned off.
" The mirror, boy.... go to the mirror."
Ray did as the Professor had asked.
He walked over to the mirror in the bathroom, turned on the light and gasped in disbelief.
He was now blue, just like the professor. All of him.
He strode angrily out of the bathroom back to Carol and Zum.
" Okay! You've had your fun! Turn me back. Now!"
" I can do that, Ray... but you would still be my son, you would still be a native of Zi Alor, and you would still be missing your memories of who you really are."
" Mom adopted you, Ray... she never wanted you to know
that, either.. because I remember a strange man coming to the house late one night... he looked a lot like Professor Zum, only a bit younger..she made me promise... not to tell.." Carol stopped when she saw the hurt, angry look on her younger brother's face.
" Okay, let me get this straight.. I'm an alien guy from Zi -Altor..."
" Zi - Alor." Darmo interjected.
Excuse me, Zi - Alor. Okay, I'm adopted on top of that. Is there anything else I ought to know? Am I supposed to fight the Empire and kill the Evil Sith Lord, too?"
" You don't realize just how close to the truth you are right now, Darmo."
The Professor sat down, He was tired from both the trip to Earth, and from the events of his time here.
" You have to get your memories back. And there's only one way to achieve this."
" What's that?" asked Ray.
" I must merge you and the robot, Darmo, into one physical being."
