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R-NLD 9

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The silence of the old boarding house's interior was then shattered when the large door was opened, with some water and wind blowing in from the mad hurricane outside. Two soaking wet figures came inside, one of them shutting the door behind them.

Helga coughed, wiping her eyes as she lifted her HUD visor goggle onto her head, trying to get rid of the water and dust that had gotten all over. She sneezed.

"Are you all right?" Arnold asked in concern, lifting his goggles up on his head.

"Yeah...yes, I'm fine." Helga said, nodding her head. She looked around the rough and tough interior, and then up at the stairs. "...Where are we?"

"Come on upstairs. This is my home." Arnold said, leading the way up the stairs.

Puzzled, Helga followed up after him, and came up into his room. She watched as he took off his gloves, and then took a remote, turning on all kinds of lights and Christmas lights of every colour. She looked around in amazement at his room, taking in all the sights. Shelves upon shelves of all kinds of items, his bed wedged into the wall next to another shelf, the skylight windows above his bed, the mat where Abner was laying on. His room was definitely something!

"This is....your living quarters?" She asked, still awestruck.

"Yes it is." Arnold smiled and made a welcoming pose. "It's my home."

"Wow..." Helga uttered, looking around some more in awe. She was amazed at seeing so many things, so many items of all kinds. It was nothing compared to her luxurious lifestyle on the Axiom. "Um, so...where'd you get all this stuff?"

"I found it all in the garbage, so I collected it." Arnold explained, gesturing to his shelves.

"Incredible." Helga said honestly. It was as if she were seeing the entire world all in one place. "You really outdid yourself here, football head."

She walked around the room, taking it in some more, but then jumped at what appeared to be a plastic singing fish on the wall near his rotating shelves.

"WHOA!" Helga yelled and drew her plasma rifle, pointing it at the singing fish.

"Helga!" Arnold immediately rushed to her side, gently grabbing her arm. He didn't want any of his treasures destroyed. "It's okay, it's just a plastic singing fish, it won't hurt you." She wasn't listening, but he persisted. "Helga, Helga, don't shoot it, please."

"...Creepy." Helga muttered, and holstered her gun, shaking her head and looking at the fish with unease.

Relieved, he grinned and gently pulled her away from it, looking really giddy and excited.

"C'mon, there's so much I want to show you!" He rifled through the racks with the remote, and then pulled something out, holding it to her. It was an eggbeater.

"Ooh..." Helga took it, and he went to search for more things to share. She twisted the knob curiously, amused by the beaters spinning around. Very curious, she twisted the knob faster and faster and faster, until the beaters flew off. She gasped in surprise, realizing what she'd done. Nervous, she placed it aside and acted like nothing had happened.

Arnold came back with a small sheet of bubble wrap. "Look at this!" He popped a bubble. "It pops. Here, you pop."

"Okay." Helga looked at it with interest, it looked so fun and addicting. She took it and popped one of the bubbles. "Ooh!" She giggled, and then popped all of the bubbles as fast as she could. It WAS fun and very addicting.

He handed her a light bulb, which she took, and it immediately lit up when she touched it.

"Huh?" Arnold took it back, tapping it as if it were broken, and then he handed it back to her. Sure enough, it lit up again. "Wow...how did you do that?"

"I don't know." Helga answered honestly, staring at the light bulb with awe. It must had been her suit's nanocurcuitry, which could apparently transfer energy to electrical things she touched. "Huh, weird."

Arnold shrugged it off and then handed her the unsolved Rubik's Cube, which she took with utmost curiosity. He thought a moment, and got an idea of what to show her next.

"Oh, I know!" He said, and went to the toaster, taking his tape of Hello Dolly!

He went back to her, and came to see that she had solved the Rubick's Cube, in a matter of seconds! Surprised, he took it from her and examined it, all the while unconsciously handing her the tape.

"Wow, impressive." Arnold murmured in amazement. "I had no idea it was that easy."

"Uh-oh." Helga suddenly said, holding the contents of the film from the tape. She'd never seen an old-fashioned video tape before, and had unspooled its contents.

"Oh no! My tape!" Arnold panicked, grabbing it back from her and wondering how to fix it.

"Oh...oh! I'm sorry!" Helga tried to apologize. Knowing she did something wrong made her feel vulnerable and often she wouldn't apologize verbally, but this was just one of those times she knew she had to express it.

"It's okay, it's okay, I think I can fix it..." Arnold shuffled through his little tool bag strapped to his utility belt, and produced a small, flathead power tool, which he used to rewind the tape and spool the film back into it.

Good as new, but still worried, Arnold whipped over to the VCR and inserted the tape, hoping against all hope that it would work. The static worried him, but after a few jumpy moments, the screen played clear and the sound was loud...or at least, the way it always had been before. The actors were singing and dancing to Put On Your Sunday Clothes, just like before. Helga moved up beside him, relieved that the problem she'd caused was solved, and was quite intrigued by what was playing on the screen.

"What do you think?" Arnold asked her, glancing at her.

"That's pretty boss." Helga remarked. "It's fascinating...." She recorded the footage with her micro camcorder, which was mounted in her earpiece. "Wow."

The football-headed garbage collector beamed, glad she found it just as cool as he did. He watched her for a moment as she watched the movie like a scientist examining a specimen. Getting an idea, he then went back over to his shelves, looking for the trash can lid he'd found the other day. He found it where he'd put it, and waved back to Helga.

"Helga, watch this."

"Hmm?" Helga turned around, and was greeted with an adorable sight.

Arnold danced a little to the tune, using the trash can lid as a hat, and hummed along with it, dancing poorly but charismatically. Helga giggled, amused by the sight. He was so cute!

"Here, you try." Arnold smiled, gesturing her.

"Me?" Helga pointed at herself, baffled. "Um...okay." She had never danced before, so it was going to be tricky.

Still, she decided to put her martial arts skills, as well as her enhanced abilities, to create coordinated movement and attempted to dance. Unfortunately, she put too much strength and speed into it, that the floor shook and his shelves rattled.

"AH! Okay okay, stop stop stop!" Arnold cried, and gently grabbed her arms. "That's a bit too rough."

"Oh, sorry." Helga said, embarrassed. "I uh...get carried away sometimes." She admitted. Still, a warm flutter came to her heart where he was touching her, though she didn't quite know why.

"It's okay, Helga." Arnold smiled and let go of her. "Here, try this move instead."

She watched as he spun around in a twirling motion dance move. It did make him a bit dizzy, but he stayed standing as he stumbled a bit. She giggled again.

"Okay, football head." Helga said, and imitated his last move, her arms spread out and spinning like a helicopter.

"Whoa whoa, no no no, stop stop stop stop STO-AAH!"

"Huh?!" Helga stopped spinning gracefully, not even the least bit dizzy. She just realized she had hit him in the face by accident, and now he was gone! Where did he go? "...Arnold? Arnold?"

Arnold had been hit by her, and was sent flying into the wall nearby, which thankfully didn't break too badly. It was painful and he felt as if he'd been struck by a car, but he was fine. He was all right, but his goggles were shattered.

"Arnold!" Helga rushed over to him, concerned. "A-Are you okay? I'm sorry! I didn't mean to..."

"No no, I'm all right." Arnold assured her, sporting a black eye. He stood up, and took off his goggles. "I think my goggles took most of the force."

"Oh...I can fix them for you."

"It's okay, I have spares."

Arnold tossed the old pair aside, and went back over to his shelves, Helga following him close behind. He took his remote and rotated the shelves, coming to find a few shelves containing personal items he might need. Extra goggles, gloves, batteries, all that jazz. He took an extra pair of goggles and put them on.

"See? Problem solved." He smiled at her.

"Oh, good." Helga sighed in relief.

Arnold's heart skipped a beat as his cheeks grew hot, seeing that Helga was genuinely concerned. Over the past while, she'd been showing more and more emotion freely, and he found himself drawn to her even more.

Helga's eyes scanned his shelves, and then she came across something new. It was the shelf with the little box containing his lighter collection. She took one out of the box and studied it curiously. It was a stainless steel Zippo lighter, with the FTi logo on one side. Strange, wasn't it supposed to be used for something? She couldn't quite place it.

"I have no idea what that is." Arnold said, coming up beside her. "But they're really interesting, so I collected a few of them to try to figure out what they are or how they work."

"Huh. No kidding." Helga said, looking it over again.

She then opened the top on one side, and clicked the button. A little flame emitted, which meant it still worked. They both stared at the little flame, captivated.

"Oooh..." Helga murmured.

"Whoa." Arnold emitted, but was now looking at her instead of the flame.

Oblivious to their intimate position, and being so close together, Helga continued to stare at the flame, not quite aware of Arnold's staring. He watched her carefully, seeing the soft glow of the flame, and the lights, and Christmas lights off her soft face. Her big blue eyes radiated such wonder and amazement, and seemed so much more beautiful than before, if that was possible. She looked so beautiful then, it almost hurt to look. His infatuation was growing more and more, and he felt as if he were looking up at a bright, starry sky. Could this have been a sign? An answer to his prayers?

In the background, he could hear It Only Takes A Moment playing, and as he was captivated by her image, and heard the soothing, beautiful song, understanding the lyrics more so than before. As Arnold took in her beautiful image, and the sounds of the song, he felt moved to express his love.

His eyes wandered downward, coming to see her white, gloved hand as it dangled at her side carelessly. Arnold gave a silent gulp, and though worried about her reaction, either rejection or being shot at, there was no turning back now. He had to do it, he had to try.

Arnold's hand reached out shakily toward hers, trembling. Helga then turned her head to look at him, wondering why he was reaching for her hand and seeming nervous.

"What are you doing?" She questioned him.

"Huh!?" Arnold withdrew his hand by reflex and fear as if he'd been shot. "Oh, uh, nothing. Nothing at all. I wasn't doing anything." He choked.

Helga raised one side of her unibrow, suspicious and curious. "Um...ooooo-kay then. Right. Whatever you say, Arnold." Her eyes casted to the TV screen. "Oooh!" She was drawn to the image, and went back over it, curiously watching.

Kicking himself mentally, Arnold now stood there, wondering what he could do next to reel her to him. He felt stupid for having tried to hold her hand just now. Maybe it was too soon? He wasn't sure. Disappointment and contempt, directed at himself, coursed through him, and he had to think of a way to break the ice again. Or rather, melt it further.

She did seem interested and fascinated by the things he'd shown her, but what else was there? He had pretty much shown her the entire world in a matter of minutes. He needed something lively.

"Wait...that's it!" Arnold said to himself quietly as realization struck him like a bolt of lightning. The plant! He could show her the plant! "Helga, I have something I want to show you!"

"What's that?" Helga asked, her attention drawn from the TV.

"Hold on, I'll get it." Arnold took his remote again, rotating the shelves as he searched for the plant. A toy drum fell onto his head, making him yelp in surprise and rub his head. He continued to search frantically, looking worried.

Helga giggled as she watched him goofily search his room and shelves. He was so adorable, and pretty funny. There was something about Arnold that drew her to him, and she was indeed very curious about him. It wasn't just the strange football shape of his head, though she found that pretty interesting and unique. Despite her unawareness of what she felt, she couldn't quite deny that she was quite attracted to him. It was odd, considering their ranks and status pushed them so far apart. He was a simple FTi custodian worker, and she was an FTi interstellar vegetation scout and second Lieutenant. Was it possible that two people like them, very different from one another, could actually establish some kind of a genuine, social connection?

Earlier on, he had shown her kindness. True, genuine, helpful kindness, by holding the umbrella over her head, and even cheering her up from her sour mood. And then risking it all to help her from the raging storm still going on outside. All from the goodness of his heart. She had tried to kill him twice, and he didn't once turn his back on her, especially when she needed help. In fact, he just seemed not to care about any of that, and still even now seemed to look at her like she was the best thing in the world.

Helga looked at the flame of the lighter again, thinking of all of this. What did Arnold seem to see in her? Why was he so....nice? Nice to the likes of her? She knew pretty well that she was an attractive young woman, and had caught the eyes of other men as she grew older, and it may have been the sparks of it, but it seemed to be a lot more than that. Most people who came into contact with her merely tolerated her presence and mind rather than enjoyed it, since most of her social contact was pure business alone. Looking at the flame, it reminded her of something beautiful. Something she longed for.

Love.

Though her parents did what they could to raise her, and her sister, the love she felt just didn't seem to be there. It was as if they merely cared for her and nothing more, since she was their child. But love? Her only friend on the Axiom was another scientist and mathematical evaluator named Phoebe. They did genuinely care for each other and helped one another out with different things. A friendly acquaintance was Phoebe's lover, named Gerald. He was a fitness instructor for the naval officers of the Axiom, and a sports expert, since he pretty much ran the sports sectors of the place. She liked them both enough, but often felt like a third wheel, since the two loved each other so much.

The kindness Arnold had shown her, was, in her mind, true, genuine, sweet kindness she'd never seen before. Not outside of her two friends. There had to be more to it all than their social ranks and statuses. Attraction was evident between them. Could they build on that, and establish a connection?

Maybe he sees me in a way that no one else does...he's not just helping me because of who I am, I can tell.


Arnold then tapped her shoulder, interrupting her train of thought. She turned around and found him standing before her, holding an old, weathered boot.

"Look Helga, I found a plant in the garbage the other day, and it's still alive. Amazing, isn't it?" Arnold said.

That was when she noticed that the boot was housing a little plant! A real, living, photosynthesizing plant! She could see what it was, it was an Ailanthus altissima sprout, a tree!

"Oh! Arnold...this is..."

Helga whipped out her holopad, scanning the plant. Surprisingly, it came out positive. Positive! It was a living, biological plant that was fully functioning! She did it! She had found what she was looking for!

But before she could even form the words to thank him, something very strange happened.

Her entire form went still, her eyes wide, and her neural implants seeming to take over her mind as she could not think straight any longer. Her hands reached out and snatched the plant away, storing it into a biospecimen container that was strapped to her belt.

What's going on!?! Arnold thought in panic, wondering why she was acting like this and if he had done something wrong.

Then she took out her downsized pod, expanding it with the push of a button. As it encased her, a strange powder was breathed into her nostrils and her eyes closed. The pod encased her completely, sealing her inside, and then it fell to the floor with a heavy thud.

The room was dark, and a green, pulsating light came from the pod. It was the same little plant symbol that was on her suit.

Once it all seemed to blow over, through the process was fairly quiet, Arnold gingerly approached the pod.

"...Helga? Helga?" Arnold murmured, and tapped her pod.

No response. He could only see her face through it, and she looked clinically dead.

Arnold tapped it again, and leaned his ear against it, as if trying to sense any movement or activity going on within it. Nope, nothing. Just the pulsating green light.

"Helga?!" He shook the pod frantically to try to wake her. But nothing worked. "Helga!? HELGA!"

Throughout the night, his cries for her echoed along his room and were silenced by the raging storm outside, as he tried all through the night to try to wake her up and get a response out of her.

But nothing came.
Chapter 9: Arnold's Favorite Things

8D Whoooo!!! And it begins.

D: I always felt so bad for WALL-E in this portion of the movie... :sniff:
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AmythestDiamond's avatar
Still good interpretation of the Pixar movie that we all know and love!