Heaven

Why the G.L.E.E was convinced that robots that robots were hiding in Middleofnowhereville, Russia, was beyond Up. The only good reason for anyone to be there would be to capture Alaska via the Bearing Sea, but who would want Alaska?

Up had hoped to get something exciting for his first mission as Commander, but instead he was freezing his butt off in a frozen wasteland, without a single robot in sight. The only bright side to his situation was that Taz had gotten assigned to the mission too. It was her first mission, and she had been really excited to go.

She didn't look too excited then though, as she sat by the campfire, doing lookout duty with Up. She hated the cold, even more than Up did. She was so skinny that she had almost no way of storing body heat. She looked absolutely miserable, buried in layer upon layer of coats.

She looked at the fire enviously , as if wishing she could just jump into the flames.

"Up?" she asked, her voice a horse whisper.

"Yeah?"

"What do you think heaven looks like?"

Up really wasn't surprised she asked that question. When fighting in a war, people thought about death a lot more.

"Um... I dunno, I guess it would look a lot like earth."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but better. There would be no hunger, no poverty... no robots..."

She looked up at him, her eyes pleading. "I don't want to freeze to death, Up. I want to die in battle, taking down as many robots as I can with me."

He put his arm around her, pulling her close to him. (In a strictly platonic way, mind you...) "You're not going to freeze to death, Taz. Not if I have anything to say in the matter."

She cuddled into his chest, causing him to feel an odd sensation in his stomach.

"That's..." she yawned. "That's good. Heaven... It wouldn't be much of a heaven without you."

She fell asleep in his arms.

It was at that moment that Up knew he was going to protect this girl, this beautiful woman, no matter the cost. If anyone or anything ever wanted to hurt her, they would have to get past him first.

And he would die before he would let anything get to her.

That was a promise.