In a strange part of the Universe, in a strange room, there sits a strange man...
The man is wearing these weird purple glasses and on the table before him are wires,
timing devices and an excessive amount of plastic explosive.
There is also a briefcase and a strange book entitled...
"BOMBS FOR EVERY OCCASION."
He opens the book...looks at the stuff on the table...then says
"Lets give it another try!"

* * * * *
Hopper is a wanderer of the Universe and not the young man he once was.
Time has taken its toll and you can see it in his eyes?
He lies here now, on the bed in this shabby hotel room and stares towards
the turbine that hums rhythmically in the centre of the roof.
Hopper is tired. He wonders if he can continue this journey...this undefined
mission that has propelled him to the farthest regions of the Universe.
Hopper reaches for his drink then lights a cigarette.
In a whisper he says to himself...
"Come on! Let's give it another try."

* * * * *
On a distant world the sad android lies...
The clouds are magnificent...the rain...the sky - but he's about to die.
He's been discarded...not wanted...rusting now...just like an old tin can.
If he can just get to his feet, he might be all right.
His conscience screams...
"Come on! Let's give it another try."

* * * * *
Who now is the saviour...?

The drives churn with the strains of re-entry.
A lady in gestation clutches the armrests in the seat next to Hopper.
Hopper's ARRIVAL to the CHAOS system is routinely amazing.
It is a very pretty planet...from a distance...from way out here in space.
At this speed, that hovers across the boundaries of time, things are of
course, a little blurry...but the colours are quite astounding.
The planet is a dark pastel green from out here.
On approach Hopper looks at the sky - it's aqua with tinges of deep iridescent blue.
Hopper wonders what's going on down there...
...all those people...all those swirling clouds?

CHAOS is just that - Chaos.
The spaceport is busy with all manner of creatures.
Some beautiful...some not.
Hopper is no longer amazed by such things.
He's too busy getting scanned...processed...
getting the customary stamp of approval.
Never ending streams of creatures quickly trickle by...

It's raining outside the spaceport.
Hopper breathes his first breath of 'chaotic' air.
He begins to feel the vibe. He can see why so many people come here.
Accommodation is on his mind...and it's a big place.
The hover cab purrs to a halt. It stops by the hotel.
The streets are busy with flashing lights.
Getting out of the cab Hopper sees this girl.
She looks at him...curiously - it's more than a casual glance?
He follows her for a way.
He is strangely compelled...but soon loses her in the crowd.
She's gone.
Hopper leans against a wall...feeling lost now in the rain.

As Hopper looks down the street his ears zoom in on this sound..."Pressure..."
It's coming from the alleyway - empty and dark..."Pressure..."
He creeps slowly up the alleyway...following the source of the sound...
"Pressure..."
He can see some purple lights beneath some garbage...
He removes some papers and there is the pitiful droid - it's scarred,
scared and beaten..."Pressure..."
"Hey? What are you doing here?" says Hopper bending down.
"Nobody needs me..." says the droid sadly. "Pressure..."
"You're in pretty bad shape...what happened?"
Hopper uncovers more of the droid's body...areas spark electrically
from the many damaged circuits.
"Well...you know..." says the droid. "One thing leads to another...
I've been out here...homeless now for years.
I have found others like me...but it is of little consolation. Pressure..."
"Surely someone has a use for you?"
"Nobody wants me. I have nowhere to go."
"Well, we'll see about that." Hopper grabs the droid's hand.
"Don't worry Sir," says the droid. "I'll be all right.
You go now...I can serve you no further."
"Come on...all you need is a fresh coat of paint!"
"I'm afraid it's slightly more serious than that...pressure..."
"Nonsense...tell me what ya need."
"It's my heart Sir. I'm very low on pressure...system analysis
predicts total failure in T minus 3.28 hours. Sir? Is there a God?"
"That's plenty of time...
Get system analysis to tell me the model of your heart..."
"Checking Sir..." The droid closes its sad purple eyes.
"Heart identified as Ventrix Phase 3 Droptail - Model SR16."
"Right. Got it. Can you walk?"
"I think not Sir."
"Okay..." says Hopper, covering the droid over with papers.
"You stay here...I'll be back."
"Where are you going Sir?"
"I'm going to find you a new heart...and stop calling me Sir."
"It's only a heart in theory...really it's just a pump."
"But that's exactly what a heart is - my friend."

The droid is not well.
His mind flickers with the corrupt memories of time...
There were good times for the droid...when he was new...when he
belonged to a family. His mind drifts back...to the girl...the girl who he
once cared for - the girl who once loved him. He used to make her
omelettes in the morning...get her ready for school. He was often
entrusted with her safety...and he liked to protect and serve.
The girl grew and he was always there for her...no matter what.
And where is this girl now, his oldest and most trusted friend?
Frying up an omelette he expects.
The droid wonders with unsheddable tears...still lying...
...still dying now in the rain.
Time passes with a history of malfunctions...

The hotel room isn't bad...but Hopper has no time to enjoy its comforts.
That poor miserable robot creature is dying now...down there in
that alley - and it's Hopper who has to save him.
What Hopper needs is a drink. He opens his suitcase upon the bed.
He opens a bottle and takes a drink - it seems to do the trick.
It's still raining outside, and from the window, Hopper can see the bustling
city below. Hopper was really hoping to enjoy this view under less
pressing circumstances. He had to get organized - and fast!
If CHAOS was like all the other cities he had visited...it was only a
matter of time before the poor droid died or was compacted to
heaven with the rest of the garbage in that dismal alleyway.
At least Hopper had something to do now - something to distract his
mind from the thought of that girl. There was something about her
that aroused in him a feeling that was most unsettling...perhaps it was
the knowledge that the chances of him seeing her again were, like her - quite slim.

"Man..." says Hopper to himself, taking a drink as he stares out of the window.
"I certainly fucked that up."

Soon Hopper is on the phone making enquiries...he's gotta find that bot a heart.

Hopper feels better now out on the street...here now amongst the Chaos of
everyday life. His enquiries have been victorious - robot heart located.
All he has to do now is go and pick it up. He's standing in the spot where
he first saw the girl. Some how, for a few seconds...he hopes that his
presence here will once again make her return. No such luck.
A man with a briefcase brushes passed him. He's wearing some weird
purple glasses. He's in a rush and drops a piece of paper...it looks like
the local currency.
"Hey Mister!" Hopper says to him. "You dropped this."
The man stops and Hopper hands him back the money.
"Thanks!" he says, continuing on his way.
Funny thing is...he steps on to the road. A car screeches to a halt and
almost runs him over. After the initial shock he starts yelling abuse at
the driver. Hopper looks on with a twinge of amusement...the man leaves...
the car drives off. It soon occurs to Hopper that he may have just saved this
man's life. Lucky really, his interaction could just have easily brought
about his demise. Those vital few seconds that it took to hand him back
the note changed both their destinies forever. I suppose CHAOS is like
that...I suppose life is like that? I mean what if he had not dropped the
note at all - a very simple mistake that is more often a stroke of
misfortune? What if Hopper had not handed it back? Would the man now
be lying in a crumpled bloody mess under that car? And what if Hopper
had not been there...would the incident have happened at all?
The mind strains with these considerations and we must wonder about
it all. You may think that someone is watching over you...God...your
parents...a loved one...the Universe? But really it isn't true. Our lives,
and, perhaps more importantly, our deaths, are truly chaotic events
that occur out of luck more than fate, destiny or reason.
So, and I'm sorry to say, our lives equate to nothing more than a
random series of events...and it may end at any time...as simple and
inelegantly as an ant, through no fault of its own, being crushed from
existence underfoot. Does the VICTORY here lie, in merely staying alive?

The droid lies in the alleyway...in the rain...waiting for death to come.
He stares up the sky as he battles his impending malfunctions...
"Hey! Good news..." says Hopper.
"You came back...?" says the droid wearily raising his head.
"Of course...what did you think?"
"I've been let down before..."
"I've found you a heart. I just have to go and pick it up."
"Affirmative..." says the droid slowly, his purple eyes changing to blue.
"Okay...you're gonna be all right. Sleep tight mate. I'll be back."
Hopper covers him with more papers.
"Sleep tight mates..." he says wearily. "Pressure..."
The droid just stares at the ground as Hopper steps over him to leave...
The droid watches Hopper's foot come down...it just misses a baby mouse
which remains oblivious to the proximity of danger.
"That was lucky..." says the droid holding out his hand for the mouse to walk on.
The mouse does so and the droid holds it up to his eyes for closer inspection.
"Pressure..." says the droid again, quite uncontrollably.
"You, my little friend, were very close to death. Huh...like me?
But I am fully aware of my predicament. You should be more
careful...with all these heavy feet around. Hungry...little guy?"
The droid searches amongst the rubbish and finds some scraps of food.
He places it on his breastplate and lowers the mouse toward it.
It soon nibbles happily and this brings a smile to the droid's otherwise
solemn face. "Eat heartily friend..." says the droid to the mouse. "You
never know...it might be your last?" The droid lies in the alleyway...with
his mouse...in the rain...now more than ever...waiting for death to come.
"Pressure..."

The droid's mind is fading now...slowly accepting its fate as it retreats
into the robot's Inner Core. His memories are sombre, slowly getting
confused...driven by the machinery of chaotic rhythms. Strange voices...
strange tales...and it's strange what he remembers. He recalls that hot
night...his mind races. The ogre in sympathy...the word from the ever
dangerous streets. He remembers the betrayal of friends that have
lead him to this place where death waits poised to pounce. Yes, he
remembers, for all is stored forever in the secret Inner Core.
And what of this girl? This girl, alive now in his memory...
"Can't tell..." whispers the droid. "Can't tell..."
Yes, he remembers her, all those years ago, sitting at the table waiting
for him to serve..."Here's your omelette..." says the droid, recalling
those blissful times with perfect clarity. If a droid is capable of any sort
of love...he had it for this girl. She was the reason for his existence...and
now, more than ever, inherent in his demise?

The very fast monorail rocks gently...almost imperceptibly...and...
Jesus...the clouds that Hopper sees out the window are really something.
The clouds of Chaos are sublime...worthy of their esteemed reputation
that drifts throughout the neighbouring systems. Hopper can see his
reflection in these clouds...and numerous other things.
It's beautiful - far beyond the scope of mortal whorls.
Hopper can also see the face of that girl - he can't stop thinking about her.
Just that one glance and he was hooked.
Hopper wonders if he can find that bot a heart and, in the process,
rediscover his own?

Jesus...these dark blue clouds hang in the sky...twisting...turning...
moving in quiet introspection like the inside of Hopper's mind.
They say the Clouds of Chaos tell a story...
...Hopper wonders is this story...sublime?

What eerie premonitions unfurl beneath this sky?

Hopper stares at the sign from the sidewalk...the shop is called
SOMETHING ELSE.
Hopper opens the door and a laser detects his presence. The shop is filled with
all manner of things. It is quite overwhelming. Hopper looks around in awe...
In the 'SPECIALS' tray Hopper finds a Fractaland CD ROM. The front
cover is tattered - as usual. Hopper looks it over.
The shop owner appears and says..."You the heart guy?"
"Er...yeah," says Hopper walking over to the counter. "The Droptail?"
"Got it right here..." says the shopkeeper.
"Great!" says Hopper twirling it curiously in his fingers.
And it's something else!

Fade...

It's quite amazing this heart. Hopper examines it back at the station,
waiting for the monorail to come. One soon arrives...the doors open...
and there, beyond the heart in his fingers - stands the girl who has not
left Hopper's mind since he first saw her. And she is something else!
Hopper is instantly frozen in time...for several seconds.
The girl walks towards Hopper...towards the station door.

"Excuse me..." says Hopper. (He's not going to lose her this time.)
"I'm new to Chaos...can you help me?"
She is not dismayed by his approach.
"Sure...I can help you," she says with a smile. "What's up?"
Hopper holds up the heart to show her. He twirls it and it shines before her eyes.
"What's your name?" asks Hopper politely.
"Kantrell," she replies.
"Kantrell..." repeats Hopper. Immediately he is silent...bewildered by her eyes
...and yeah...she's something else!

"Can't tell..." says the droid wearily, slowly passing now from this
world...passing now from Chaos - the rain...the darkness...the solitude.
Before these iron gates we stand...judgement now...ourselves in hand.
The soul you see, it will depart...upon release...this beating heart.

Can you picture a robotic heaven?

Back on the very fast monorail...

"I'm glad you're coming to help me," says Hopper.

She is staring out the window...into the eerie dark blue clouds.

Hopper slowly reaches out for her hand...she looks at him deeply.

Sometimes...the way someone holds your hand is worthy of a thousand
words...and here it would be futile to inscribe any one of them. Nothing
is said - but the way someone holds your hand can speak volumes...

"Do you want to see this heart?" says Hopper after a time.
"Sure..." she says.
Hopper holds it up once again to her eyes.
"A Droptail..." she says casually. "I haven't seen one of those in years."
Suddenly she is quiet...saddened by some thought...lost again in the clouds?

"I hope we make it," says Hopper looking at his watch. "Poor bot...deadline?"
"Bot...?" whispers Kantrell to herself.

The monorail speeds away, towards the distant city...

Outside the station...

Hopper and Kantrell rush down the street...they are soon obstructed by
two men who throw a limp body into the compacter.
The body is, or used to be...a droid.
Written on the side of the truck is DEUS and underneath that in smaller
letters...Droid Eradication Unit Server.
"Bloody hell..." says Hopper, watching the compacter crush the body into a
tiny cube of metal.
"I've seen them crush live ones," says Kantrell.
Kantrell looks as worried as Hopper does.
"Come on," says Hopper. "We're almost there."

* * * * *

In the alley the droid is dying...his mind is slowly approaching the
swirling fringes of the Afterlife...

"There is nothing I can say to quell your curiosity. There is no
boundary that can contain your soul. This prison of life is an oasis in
space, a drop from heaven spinning into the sky. This shroud
surrounds my mind when I no longer need to breathe, combining in
perfection my heart and soul into one solitary beam like a ray from
the Sun. On this beam I shall travel forever, across the expanse of
space, through time and distant memories...soon to be erased?"

"This is it," says Hopper. He runs down the alleyway and much to his
relief...the bot is still there. The bot doesn't look well...

"I'm back..." says Hopper, removing some of the rubbish that covers him.
"Pressure..." he says deliriously. "Sleep tight mates!"
"It's gonna be okay...I've got your heart."
"My heart?" asks the bot.
"You ever installed one of those?" asks Kantrell bending down.
The bot detects the voice instantly.
"Can't Tell?" says the bot.
"Bot?" says Kantrell. "Is that you?" She recognizes him now.
"Can't Tell...uhm...Kantrell," says the droid, correcting her pet name.
"I've been thinking about you...our time together...how much it meant."
"Bot...what's happened to you?" Kantrell holds his hand.
"I think..." mumbles the droid sadly. "I'm dying...?"
"Give me that," says Kantrell grabbing the heart. "I've done this before."

Installing the heart is a tricky procedure...it requires a little expertise.
Kantrell hasn't done it for a long time but it soon comes back to her.
"See this bit here?" says Kantrell pointing to a section of the heart.
"This is why it's called a Droptail. The trick is to perforate the seal."
She loosens this drop-down attachment and then slides the heart
perfectly into place. "There..." says Kantrell. "Done."
"I probably would've missed that..." admits Hopper with a hint of relief.
"Pressure..." repeats the bot. "Pressure...normalizing..."
"I could not let you die Bot..." says Kantrell.

Bot starts to feel better instantly. He tries to get to his feet.
"Whoa...down boy," says Kantrell placing a hand on his breastplate.
"Rest for a while...you're safe. Stabilize now..."

"What's all this then?" comes the voice suddenly...from nowhere.
It's a stern looking D.E.U.S. boy and he's definitely on the prowl for
rogue droids!
"Nothing..." says Hopper. "Everything's under control."
"What's up with him?" asks the DEUS guy looking down at the droid.
"Would you like us to dispose of him for ya?"
"No..." says Kantrell. "He's with us. He's going to stay with us."
Kantrell holds Bot's hand, and soon, once again, life glows in his
purple eyes...

And for some reason, the DEUS guy seems a little disappointed.
One seems to get the impression that he actually likes crushing these things?

Sometime later, in the hotel room...

Bot is better now. He's pristinely clean. He's serving up an omelette to
Kantrell and Hopper who sit down at the table...
"So we just call you 'Bot' eh?" says Hopper admiring the culinary delight.
"It's not really from 'Ro BOT' either. He's Android. It's from 'Bot...bot!'."
Kantrell in retrospection looks sad for a second.
"You know...bottle? - He was the mother I never had."

Hopper is silent. It's been a strange day for him on Chaos. It was strange
that he found Kantrell. Strange that she lead him to the bot. Strange
that the bot lead him back to her. But the strangest thing of all is that
she knew the poor droid...
"Gotta admit..." says Hopper eating healthily. "He whips up a pretty
mean omelette!"
"He's had plenty of practise..." says Kantrell. "He used to make them
for me...get me ready for school. He was the older brother I never had."
"So he was there all the time? What happened?" Hopper is surprised.
"I was young...had to get away. While I was away my parents split.
When I eventually came home he was gone. I don't know why but they
told me he was dead. I think they must have sold him?"
"Will he tell you?" asks Hopper watching Bot clean up.
"I don't know..." says Kantrell. "Bot...? Did they sell you?"
"I'm sorry Miss," says Bot. "Override 415 - That information is classified."
"Classified?" Kantrell looks confused. "His way of dealing with it I suppose."
"I knew it..." says Kantrell in deep reflection. "I saw it in the clouds as I left...
I knew I shouldn't have left him."
"What is it with the clouds around here...?"
"They say, if you're open to it, the clouds reveal premonitions...in your mind."
"Oh..." says Hopper. "Really...?"
"I'm so happy that I've found him...I must thank you."
"Well..." says Hopper. "I thank the Bot - this omelette is great!"
Kantrell laughs.

"You know Kantrell...?" Hopper holds Kantrell's hand. "It wasn't only
the replacement heart that saved him - it was you. You were integral to his
recovery. You gave him a reason to live. And, if ya wanna know something
else...I feel exactly the same way. If there is any 'thanking' to be done it is
us who should be thanking you!"
"So you'll stay with us for a while?" asks Kantrell softly.
"Sure," says Hopper with a sincere smile. "I'd be delighted. I'm looking
forward to seeing more of those clouds...and eating a few more of those omelettes."
"I must warn you..." says Kantrell after a while. "I'm hideously ugly in the mornings."
"Oh..." says Hopper. "So am I."

There is no hiding Hopper's ever widening smile...

The days have passed quickly...much omeletting has taken place.

Now, at the Airport...

Hopper kisses Kantrell...he holds both her hands and looks deep into her eyes...
"I'm sorry I have to go..." says Hopper. "Damn visas! I'll be back in a week or two."
"I can't wait..." says Kantrell. "Oh...here's a little going away present."
Kantrell slides a piece of paper into Hopper's top pocket. She kisses him.
"And you Bot!" says Hopper putting a hand on his shoulder. "How am I going
to live without you...and your supreme omelettes?"
"Well...Sir," says Bot, a little embarrassed. "One must make do."
"Flight 415. Now boarding..." announces the terminal voice.
"Well that's me," says Hopper. "Guess I better get going."
Kantrell and Hopper kiss for the last time.

Hopper walks backwards as he leaves. He waves sadly at Kantrell who
now holds Bot's arm. He knows they are going to be safe...together now forever.

* * * * *
Hopper buckles up the seat belt as the spaceship lurches forward...
He remembers the piece of paper that Kantrell gave him and he retrieves
it from his pocket. He unfolds it and reads what she has written...
There is nothing romantic - just her address...her contact number.
Hopper is pleased - she has signed it "LOVE KANTRELL" and added a little
coloured in heart. Hopper smiles and returns the paper next to his heart.

The ship winds up...slowly lifting into the sky...

Hopper stares out of the window - the clouds. For the first time in his life,
he can see himself settling down...settling down with that girl and that ancient droid,
serving him perfect omelettes beneath those beautiful...delightful...swirling
Clouds of Chaos.

* * * * *
It occurs to Hopper, as the ship rises above the city, that those little people
down there, uncannily resemble...ants? And in the distance the clouds...
like fire...an eerie shadow play that unfurls across the horizon.

So, it seems, our lives do equate to nothing more than a chaotic series of events...

(Now sitting down next to Hopper is that guy - the briefcase...the bomb? Those strange
purple glasses?)

...and it may end at any time...as simple and inelegantly as a spaceship,
through no fault of its own...exploding in the sky.