Futuristic Four

"I'm a super. Aren't you?"

"Ready?" Penny Forrester asked, waving a red frisbee in the air. Her white dog Bolt crouched, tail wagging and tongue lolling.

"Then go get it!" Penny shouted, throwing the frisbee. Bolt took off after the frisbee, barking loudly as he ran. The frisbee had cleared the fence and landed in the wheat field beyond. Penny watched Bolt's white form vanish among the stalks.

After leaving the movie industry Penny and her mother had moved to a small house on a plot of farmland. Bolt loved all of the wide open space, and the fresh air was good for Penny's lungs which had never been quite the same after the fire at the studio.

"Good boy!" Penny cheered as Bolt loped back into view. "Bring it here!"

Bolt padded to Penny and dropped the frisbee at her feet. She crouched down and scratched behind his ears, picking up the frisbee as she did so.

Penny heard a loud crash as the ground rumbled. Bolt tensed up and began growling, the fur along his spine standing on end. Penny turned to see what he was so upset about as the ground grew still.

A large metallic robot was standing a short distance away. It looked like a tick, with a triangular steel-plated body and four legs on each side of it's body. It was at least fifteen feet long and seven feet tall. Where its mouth should have been were four small tube-like arms.

"Found you," a grating voice hissed. The robot scuttled forward faster than Penny could have thought possible.

There was a bright flash and a strange ship appeared in the sky, flying low. Penny could see three people inside of the ship. One was a girl, the other two were boys. One of the boys did something and the top of the ship opened. The girl jumped out and rolled across the ground, climbing to her feet.

"Stay back!" the girl told Penny, extending her hands in the direction of the robot. A purple force field surrounded the robot, stopping it in its tracks. The ship landed nearby and the two boys climbed out. One ran to the girl's side, while the other ran to Penny.

"You need to come with us!" the young man explained quickly, casting a glance over his shoulder at the robot. It was scanning the force field which held it trapped.

"Who are you guys? What's going on?" Penny asked. Bolt was at her side, ears pricked and ready for action.

"Oh, sorry," the young man said. "I'm Wilbur. That's Hiro and Violet. We're here to rescue you from that." He pointed at the robot.

"How did you get here?" Penny asked. She had seen plenty of special effects in her life, but she could tell that this was different.

"Time machine," Wilbur replied. Penny heard a mild thump which vibrated deep within her. It was followed by a panicked shout.

"Violet!"

Penny's eyes snapped to Violet, Hiro, and Bolt who had approached the force field unnoticed. Bolt was crouched, growling at the robot. Hiro had his hands on Violet, who was looking a little pale.

"What's going on?" Penny asked Wilbur.

"I'm not sure," Wilbur replied, worry clear in his voice.

Beside the force field Hiro was experiencing a surge of panic. He didn't know what had happened to Violet, but she was looking weaker than before. Her extended arms were trembling from exertion.

"Violet, are you ok?" Hiro asked.

"Can't hold on . . . much longer," she grunted.

"How are you doing this?" Hiro panicked. "This shouldn't even be possible!"

"I'm . . . a super. Aren't you?" Violet asked. The force field flickered as the robot rammed it.

"Tell them to get in the ship and ready to leave," Violet commanded Hiro in a quiet voice.

"Get to the ship!" Hiro shouted, turning to Wilbur and Penny. Wilbur grabbed Penny's hand and pulled her towards the time machine. They reached it just as Hiro heard the grinding of gears. He turned and saw the robot stab the force field with two of its front legs. The purple glow vanished and Violet fell into Hiro's arms. She was only barely conscious.

"All three in one place," the robot said in its grating voice. "How convenient."

The four tentacles around where its mouth should have been extended in one sudden movement. Two wrapped around Bolt, pulling him into the air with a yelp. One snagged on the back of Violet's sweater as Hiro turned to pull her to safety, pulling her into the air. A fourth one reached for Hiro, but he dodged aside.

"How do we fight it?" Penny called from the ship.

"I have an idea!" Hiro called back. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted as loud as he could. "OW!"