ISSUE
NINE: MISTER MACHINE
Colored
by G. Roussos.
Angered
by the treatment he has receivedparticularly the indignity caused by the
removal of his faceAaron uses the weapons systems built into him to escape
his prison and hold off the armed guards sent after him in the
military/scientific complex he had been brought to against his will.
Broadhurst brings security chief Col. Kragg
to task for removing Aarons human face.
The scientist demands that the attacks against the robot cease, that he
be given back his identity and set free, although the android will have a secret
homing device attached to it. While
before Broadhurst, Aaron is called a machine.
With his dignity, and face, restored, Aaron demands to be called Mister
Machine and flies away.
Now supposedly free, Mr. Machine flies to
the wilderness where he again comes into contact with a monolith and
communicates with it. No, he
tells the artifact. I shall not
seek destiny. It will find meand
lead me to my destined path. With
this rebuke, the 2001 series is effectively ended as the remaining issues in the
series serve as a pilot for Mr. Machines own series.
The stone disappears just as little Jerry
wanders up, impressed with Mr. Machine because he looks so much like a Marvel
super hero! Jerry takes Mr. Machine
to his Aunt Olivia, who struggles to fix the flat on their car.
Mr. Machine fixes the car, enhances it, and takes the offered ride as
masked Mr. Hotline and his creepy chauffeur Krige notice that one of the rumored
X-models has indeed escaped. Mr.
Hotline contacts his secret forces to attack the robot in a test of technology
that Mr. Machine easily wins.
Olivia takes Mr. Machine and Jerry to
report the odd incident to the police as Mr. Hotline and Krige watch from the
bushes, pleased that the X-model has passed the test.