It was a chilly late December night. A single vehicle with four occupants drifted along a lonely, isolated country road surrounded by an ancient forest.

'This is such a beautiful night for a drive...' thought the driver of the vehicle. About ready to relax due to the serenity of the scene, the driver was jerked awake by the sudden small blast of sound coming from the front Passenger's headphones. Slightly irritated at the distraction caused by the teen's music, and concerned for her hearing, the driver tapped the girl's shoulder.

"What is it, Mom?" Asked the passenger with a hint of annoyance.

"Don't give me that tone of voice, young lady, I simply wanted to ask you to turn down your music. You might damage your hearing!"

"I appreciate the concern, Mom, I do, but...couldn't you just swap out my audio receptors?" the teen asked nonchalantly.

"Ecks-Jay-Niyun, it takes time and some very delicate work to create ONE audio receptor, let alone two! What do you think would happen if you damaged your hearing? You wouldn't hear the alarms if Tremorton of the Earth were threatened!"

"But mom, seriously-" The robot started, but cut off mid-sentence shivering, and crossed her arms for warmth. Noticing the action, her mother became elated.

"Oh, XJ-9! Your perfected nerves finally kicked in! And don't think I don't know what you were going to say! Just because you haven't been required to go and save Tremorton or the planet for the past few months, doesn't mean you can neglect routine maintenance, or proceed with actions that damage your various parts." The driver lectured.

"Fine, I won't listen to music, I'll just sit here and drive myself insane with boredom...and freeze." grumbled the teenaged robot. After moping and watching the trees fly by, XJ-9 decided to ask her friends what they thought of their day at the Robotics Convention. However, upon turning around in her seat to look behind her, the robotic girl learned that they were fast asleep. 'Oh yeah, sure Brad. "It'll be fun and games, there and back!", huh? Then you go and sleep...both times. Jerk.'

"Hmm...a December fog...how odd." murmured the driver.

"Whats wrong, mother?" questioned XJ-9, curiosity perked.

"A very rare December fog has rolled in. Not really an issue, its just an odd sight..." The pair watched out of the front of the vehicle in interest. Once they noticed the level of fog growing heavy at an exponential rate, curiosity turned to concern.

"At this rate you won't be able to drive, the fog is getting too heavy." XJ-9 stated, attempting to peer deep into the fog.

"I agree, lets see if pulling off and waiting a spell will help.." replied her mother. Once the vehicle went to the side of the road, the two started hearing illogical mumbling behind them, and peered towards the two passengers in the back.

"Waz goin' on Mrs. Wakeman..?" Brad asked groggily.

"Glad you could join us, Mr. Carbunkle. We've hit a patch of extremely dense fog.."

having awoken at the same time as his brother, Tuck became suddenly alert and started shaking. "Oh no, this is...just like in that movie...where...where the 10 eyed tentacle monsters -"

"Tuck, there is no such thing as 10-eyed tentacle monsters, so chill out." Brad lectured to his brother. Looking straight forward as Brad, Jenny, and Mrs. Wakeman stared at him, a figure darted in-front of the car into it's headlamps.

"AAAHHHGH! I DON'T WANNA DIE!" Screamed Tuck, while he balled himself up and pointed to the front. Being the quickest thanks to her modern robotics, Jenny managed to catch a black silhouette to the extreme left of her sight.

"OH MY GOD, there IS something out there!" She shouted, similarly balling herself up out of surprise and shock.

"Oh, XJ-9, don't act so childish! If there even IS anything out there, which it is most likely just a forest creature, you've defended the earth from much worse." Chided Mrs. Wakeman.

"Uhm, yeah...uhh," Jenny stammered in embarrasment, "I'll just, uhh...go and look." Upon exiting the car, Jenny walked away from the front of the car, and was promptly swallowed by the thick fog.

"Hey Jenny, are you, ahh...are you okay?" Brad shouted out to the emptiness from his window.

"Yeah, I'm fine. My mom was right, there is noth-" Jenny had begun to shout back, but was cut out by a loud racket.

"XJ-9? XJ-9! Whats going on!" Mrs. Wakeman shouted with worry. But instead of an ordinary reply, the only thing that Brad, Tuck, and Herself heard was the incredible sound of many trees being uprooted, Jenny letting out a high pitched 'AAYYYIIIEEE!', more trees being uprooted, and then...silence. In disregard for their own safety, Brad and Mrs. Wakeman, bolted from the car towards the last known location of the sound.

"Mrs. Wakeman, don't you have some way to find where she is?" Brad probed with a demanding tone. His question was answered before Mrs. Wakeman had opened her mouth though, as the fog lifted and the pair saw a heart-stopping scene: the area had been completely obliterated. After recovering from his initial shock, Brad bounded off in great strides towards the heart of the scene. "JENNY, I'M COMING!"