After a short drive from the cafe, Wasabi finally managed to find a parking spot. S.F. Bowl was the only bowling alley in the city, a large white structure with oversized bowling pin pillars that flanked the entrance and held up a large metal awning.  Colorful banners hung between the pillars.  Pink cherry blossom trees lined the sidewalk.

"So, um, does anyone really know how to bowl?" Honey Lemon asked.

Fred cracked his knuckles and ripped off his jacket to reveal a radiant bowling jersey. He smiled and puffed his chest out.

"Not at all," he said, and plowed through the throngs of bowlers of all ages enjoying the high ceiling modern bowling alley.  He smiled knowingly at anyone who glanced his way, and gave a dual finger point to one man also sporting a bowling jersey as he passed by.

Thirty lanes filled the bulk of the nicely-lit building, and a dark color scheme pervaded in the walls and carpet. A variety of the latest arcade games created an exuberant din. Their flashy displays of graphics, designed to pull in potential players, flickered enticingly. Flat screen TVs depicted sporting events in the restaurant area, where a birthday party was in progress.

The group of friends heard rolling bowling balls, pins being struck, cheerful voices, and the faint sound of upbeat music. As they neared the bowling area, the distinctive smell of oil on the wood lanes, as well as that of freshly cooked pizza, filled the air.

"OK, so for the investigation..." Hiro whispered to his friends, then noticed Fred at the front counter with his wallet open.

"A game, and shoe rental. On me, guys," Fred announced cheerfully, and beamed to the others as they approached.

Hiro's mouth hung open slightly, and his brows knit together. "Fred, we don't have time for this. There's enough stress with us investigating the pin stacking robot that disappeared from here-"

"Without our suits. Armored suits, with weapons," Go Go added flatly.

"Yes, that," Hiro gestured to her. "And that with the processor the robot stole, some ridiculous villain is going to try to take over or destroy the city. Or take revenge on us," Hiro said, his voice rising a bit. He held eye contact with Fred, and the others looked at Hiro with concern.

Honey Lemon glided between Fred and Hiro, her large, expressive eyes locking with Hiro's.

"Um- Thanks, Fred!" Honey said over her shoulder with a forced smile to Fred, then turned back to Hiro. "Let's humor him, Hiro. Please," she whispered to Hiro, patting him on the shoulder persuasively.

Hiro opened his mouth to reply, closed it, then looked to the others. Everyone looked expectantly from Hiro to Fred, who finally handed over a credit card to the cashier. Hiro nodded, exhaled, then led the others to Fred.

They tried on shoes, swiftly chose a lane, chose bowling balls from the rack nearby, and set up scoring. Finally, Hiro stood, holding the ball, fingers in the holes. He walked forward and released the ball that curved to the left and into the gutter. Eyes half-lidded, he returned to a seat. The friends took their turns playing.

"No way!" Hiro said wide-eyed as Fred nailed another strike, the noise of bowling pins ringing through the lanes. He raised both lanky arms with his hands in fists as he sauntered back to the others. Hiro could only smile at him in response.

Go Go managed to knock down what pins she could, focused more on finishing the game quickly. Honey Lemon gasped when she got a spare, then walked back to Fred for a well-deserved high five. Later, after Wasabi managed a spare, he spun around, his face transformed from shock to joy.

"Now that's what I call applied physics!" he said with a confident smile as he sat with the others.

Fred ended up winning with the highest score, followed by Wasabi. They returned their shoes, then gathered back together. Hiro made eye contact with the others, then discreetly held a small cylindrical metallic object for the others to see. A black button was on its base.

"Well, fun's over. I researched the layout of this place online. This lock pick thing will get us into the employees area. From there, we look for any clues that will lead us to the robot that was stolen," he said and stuffed the small object back into his pocket, then looked to Go Go and Wasabi. "Let's split up. Honey Lemon and Fred, try asking about the thefts."

"Got it," Fred said with a confident tone and salute. Honey Lemon gave a small smile.

I hope they'll be okay without their hero suits, she thought.

She watched Hiro, Wasabi, and Go Go walk off while she and Fred remained at the front register. Glancing around, she noticed among the bowlers a worker of some sort in a dark blue uniform. Surprisingly, she looked like a young woman with bright red hair peeking out from under a cap. 

Honey Lemon blinked and turned to the stout, balding Asian man at the register. "That was fun. Um, you haven't heard about any thefts around here lately...have you?" she asked sweetly.

The man looked at the surprisingly tall auburn-haired girl in glasses, then shrugged.

"Yeah, it was a surprise. I mean, what would someone want with a pin stacker bot?" he asked.

"Hmm," Fred supplied. He rested his elbows on the counter, one hand to his chin, and an eyebrow cocked. The man looked at him curiously for a moment.

"Well, there was this guy that worked here..." the man continued in his gruff tone until he looked to the side and saw potential customers. "Oh, hold on," he said to Honey Lemon. 

He turned to greet a couple that approached the register. Fred and Honey exchanged a nonplussed look and gazed across the bowling alley to where their friends had gone.

***

Hiro, Wasabi, and Go Go swiftly looked around, and found the door for employees on the far wall. Wasabi watched for anyone who might spot them trying to enter.

"Not yet," he cautioned out the side of his mouth.

After a slight pause, Hiro started to make a move.

"Not yet..." Wasabi whispered, trailing off dramatically. His eyes darted about, scanning the area.

Go Go frowned and grabbed Wasabi's shoulders. She placed him in position as she stood next to him, both of them obscuring Hiro from sight of any people in the area.

Hiro swiftly slipped the lock pick into the lock. After a pause, there was a click and the friends entered undetected. They walked down a hall with a few doors that branched off, and the sound of pins being struck grew louder as the group advanced.

Hiro marched ahead, and the others followed close behind.

"So far, so-" Hiro started.

Suddenly, a sharp metallic clang echoed loudly. Then there was a quieter rattle.

Hiro looked to see Go Go glaring at Wasabi who stood apologetically by a small rolling utility cart that he'd accidentally banged aside. It finally stopped rolling, and he placed his hands on it as if trying to soothe the object.

"Sorry," he whispered. 

Hiro gave Go Go, then Wasabi a pointed look and sighed. He held his forefinger to his lips in an exaggerated shushing gesture, and the trio resumed their investigation.

At the end of the hall, Hiro opened a door on the right and slipped in, followed by the others. They found themselves in a vast, dark room with a low ceiling. Numerous machines scooped up and set down bowling pins with precision, and bowling balls whizzed in and were shot back out. Wasabi pointed to the empty spot where a robotic pin stacker once was. Beside it, the nearest pin stacking machine worked away. A small device sat on top of it, and a tiny camera angled at the the three intruders.

***

A digital image of Hiro, Wasabi, and Go Go was displayed in full color on a computer monitor.

In a modest office of a tall downtown building, a refined-looking man in his forties with short, black hair sat at a curved black and glass desk, focused on his computer monitor. The fifth floor window behind him offered a breathtaking view of the downtown cityscape. He'd diverted his attention from his work to the camera image of the three students.

"As expected, Hiro," he muttered, sighed, and pressed a button on his keyboard, then exhaled forcefully.

But I'm always one step ahead of you. I've spent too much time getting to this point. And I won't have you and your friends interfering, the man thought in irritation.

***

Hiro and the others had searched the area of the missing robot, thankful the lane was closed. At least they didn't have to worry about bowling balls speeding into them. Hiro grew frustrated and jabbed a finger to where he'd searched.

"Really? There's nothing?" he asked and stood up from the floor, shoulders drooped and hands dangling at his sides. "We went through all this for nothing? The chip stolen from the Expo by one of these dumb robots is in the hands of some-- villain," he said, brows furrowed.

"Trail stops here. We tried," Go Go said with an exasperated huff. "Better check on the others before we get caught back here." She looked from Hiro to Wasabi, then she and Hiro turned to walk towards the exit.

Wasabi started to turn as well. "Yeah--" he glanced back on a whim and his eyes widened. His heart palpitated and mind worked frantically with what he saw.

"Look out!" he screamed, and Hiro and Go Go turned in alarm. The nearest pin stacking robot held two bowling balls in its mechanical hands, and its arms were cocked back menacingly.

"Down!" Wasabi cried to Hiro and Go Go, and quickly pulled them down.

The balls shot forward to where their heads had been a moment ago with frightening speed, the sound of them slicing through the air. The trio shouted as the spheres flew past them and loudly cratered into the nearby wall, sending cracks rippling out from the impact.

All three friends were wide-eyed for a moment. 

"C'mon!" Go Go yelled, poised to run, eyeing the robot warily.

They quickly got to their feet and raced to the exit. They reached the door, but in that short time, the arms were ready to strike. Go Go yanked open the door, dashed out, and was followed by the others. The telescopic arms shot forward and missed them narrowly as they rounded the corner. The three friends looked back to where the arms met the limit of their extension, doubled over to breathe heavily.

I just did that. I'm not having a heart attack. We're still alive, Wasabi thought in a rush.

Hiro and Go Go looked to Wasabi. "You- saved our lives, man," Hiro panted and put a hand on his shoulder.

"G-good eye, Wasabi," Go Go said, put a hand on his other shoulder and eyed him closely. "Thanks."

Wasabi looked from her to Hiro. "Yeah," he said in relief, and calmed down a bit. "I'd say that's a clue. But we can't get near it."

The sound of footsteps caught the trio's attention.

"Hey, you don't work here," a voice said from a little ways down the hall. A middle-aged man with greying hair and stubble on his face approached with a confused look.

"Oh, um..." Hiro started when he noticed a young woman had arrived. 

The man who'd confronted them heard her footsteps and turned around. She appeared from behind the man, wearing a dark blue repairman's outfit with a cap that hid most of her red hair.

"Uh, who are you?" the man asked in surprise.

"Got a call about a malfunctioning machine," she replied and flashed her ID badge to the man.

"Wait, you're--" Hiro said, then stopped when he recognized Sam as she glared at him.

"Here to fix this. I'll be right back," she said confidently to the employee and trespassers with a slight wave.

"Hey wait--" the man started, but looked to Hiro, Wasabi, and Go Go. The trio looked relieved at Sam's appearance, then they quickly tensed up with concern. Hiro took a step forward to follow her.

"Hey! That machine--" Hiro said urgently.

"I'll take care of it," she cut in with a forced smile. She palmed what looked to be a lavender tube of lipstick in her hand. "Can you escort these folks back to the lanes, Mr...?"

"Just call me Frank," he replied with a nod. "Sure. C'mon, kids," he said and motioned for Hiro, Wasabi, and Go Go to walk with him to the exit back to the lanes.

The trio breathed out a collective sigh of relief, then followed.

I can't believe the timing of her. Will she be all right? What can she possibly do that we didn't? Hiro thought in a rush, trying to predict outcomes and possibilities.

"Sorry about that," Wasabi said to the man as they quickly reached the door. "Hiro's a robotics student," he continued, and placed a hand on the youth's shoulder. "He'd heard about the robotic pin stacking machines and ran in here." They exited back to the lanes and Frank closed the door.

"He got away before we could stop him," Go Go said, and looked from Wasabi to Hiro. She leaned in and pointed at him in admonishment. "Bad Hiro," she said.

Hiro looked at his friends in distaste, sighed, then turned to Frank apologetically. "I'm sorry, it won't happen again," he said with a small bow.

The man's expression lightened a bit, he shifted his weight, and gestured to him. "It's okay. I just don't want anyone getting hurt," he explained. The trio shared a knowing look in concern, thanked the man, and walked away to rejoin their friends.

They soon spotted Fred and Honey Lemon, who were seated on a bench near the main entrance, in conversation with Sam.

Hiro waved to Honey Lemon, who spotted him and waved in return.

"Guys, look who's back," Honey Lemon said, gesturing behind Hiro to Sam, who quickly joined them.

"Hey, that was you back there. Thanks for bailing us out," Hiro said. "I still don't know your name. I'm Hiro."

"Sam," the faux repairwoman said, hands folded behind her. "Robot problem's been fixed." She held a small electronic device for everyone to see.

"Who's up for lunch while we talk things over? I'll introduce you to my friends," Sam said casually and gestured to the door.

A/N: Thanks for reading. 

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