Higher Calling - Completed

The Premise
Destined to be just another member of the BnL Starliner, the Axiom, Brandon McCrea grew up just like any other unimportant human on the ship. But unbeknownst to him, his life was about to take a huge turn, for it was set apart to change the history of mankind forever.

A back-story fanfic; not too many details. It basically follows the movie, so I will issue a spoiler alert for those who have not seen it. This shouldn’t get too long - it is almost finished so far, just needs a couple extra sections and it will be completed. :smiley:


July - 2754

An emotionless, uniform NAN-E Bot hovered up and down the rows of month-old infants in their box-shaped cribs, making sure each was in their place and sleeping. Right now, everything seemed in place and in order - just as they should. She moved down the rows of cribs to do a quick head check of all the infants and make sure they matched up to the nursery’s database.

The babies were placed in their cribs by name, so the rows were in alphabetical order. All seemed present and sleepy in their cribs. Aaron K., Aaron O., Abraham, Adon C., Adon J. Adon W., Aggie, Alden, Allie, Althea, Ava, Belle, Blake F., Blake P., Brady, Brandon B., Brandon D., Brandon M., Brianna…

NAN-E paused. She moved backwards a few cribs and stopped still again. Where was Brandon M. - the eleven month-old, brown-haired, grey-blue-eyed baby boy?

“Brandon M.,” she stated, “Come on out. It is time for bed. Go to sleep.”

But there was no reply. NAN-E began searching all over the nursery, calling out the baby’s name.

“Brandon M.,” she said again after she couldn’t find him. “This is not a time for games.”

She glanced over, and she happened to notice the door to the nursery wide open. That wasn’t normal at all. She hovered to the door and took a peek outside, at first seeing nothing but humans in their hoverchairs slowly retreating to their cabins.

“Hey, watch it!” a human suddenly cried, manuvering his hoverchair sharply around a small red object on the ground. “Stupid kid. Get back in your hover ring.”

NAN-E was livid. “Brandon M.,” she loudly called. The child who had nearly been hit whirled around at the mention of his name. “Return to the nursery.”

But Brandon refused. He loved messing with the NAN-E Bot. Instead, he rolled onto his back and laughed out loud, grabbing his chubby feet. NAN-E was forced to retrieve him and carry him back to his crib.

Little Brandon M. couldn’t help it - he hated the repetitive scenery and ways of the nursery, and after he had seen only one glimpse of the active world outside those doors, he wanted to know what it was all about. No doubt, he had been out of the nursery more than once, and he would have much rather been hit by that hoverchair than to have to lie silent in his confined crib. As soon as he was set down and the holographic barriers were enabled, he began to cry.

“Brandon M., it is time for bed. Go to sleep,” NAN-E called from the other side of the room, where she stood guard during the night.

Brandon didn’t let up. He only cried harder. Let me out of this place! I want to be free like those other people…!

“Brandon M.,” NAN-E repeated. Brandon wanted to plug his ears. He heard his name enough times in one day to make anyone go insane. “Brandon M… Brandon M…”

Eventually he cried himself to sleep, after crying hard enough to drown out NAN-E Bot’s repetitive words. He dreamed vividly of the world outside of the nursery, wishing that he were able to get out there and explore that bustling reality that was kept so far from his reach.

March - 2769

“Brandon. What are you looking at?”

Brandon snapped out of it, turning to face his best friend, Oliver.

“Huh?” he wondered. Oliver rolled his eyes and lazily kicked at Brandon’s hoverchair.

“You jerk,” he muttered. He sighed loudly and wiggled his toes. “I hate the Lido Deck. I’m too hot here. Let’s go.”

Brandon frowned. “Well, don’t you ever wonder what’s up there?” he asked Oliver, pointing to an elevator on the very north end of the Lido Deck. It lead up to some kind of control room, where Brandon saw a very faint red light. Ever since he had seen it four years ago, he had been wondering what it was. Oliver didn’t look interested.

“Uhh, let me think about that,” he mused, tapping his lip. “Hmm… nope, not really. I’m happier touring the ship while watching trashy shows,” he continued, turning on his hoverchair’s built-in holoscreen. Brandon watched Oliver hover away and merge into the surge of other humans in transit. Biting his lip, he glanced back at the strange room at the front of the ship. If no one else really cared about life outside of hovering around on the Axiom, and if that was all life really was about, why did Brandon get a sense that there was something more…?

Something about that mysterious room spoke to him. There was more out there than what he knew. The question was - would he ever realize what it was? Would he ever be able to break out of the mold that the world was trying to squeeze him into? Or was he stuck in this lot of life for the rest of his existence?

December - 2774

We regret to inform the members of the Axiom that our captain - Captain Kelly O’Brien - passed away early this morning. Please be patient, as we are currently in the process of selecting a new Captain. If you wish to obtain further information, Steward Bots are available to take your questions. Have a great day onboard the Axiom - where YOU are our #1 Priority…!

Brandon quickly ignored the message that appeared on the screen in front of him while he was still asleep and turned off the holoscreen of his hoverchair.

Gah, I hate that, he drowsily thought. You’d think they’d wait to say that after you were awake…

Now that he was awake, there was no point of going back to sleep, and he moved towards the small coffee pot in his cozy cabin. Fresh coffee was always ready for him, no matter what time of day he woke up. He liked that.

As he slowly drank the steaming coffee, he heard the doorbell chime; which was unusual because he never received company - except maybe on his birthday, which his friends usually forgot about anyways.

He set the styrofoam cup down and furrowed his brow, turning his chair around to face the door. “C-come in,” he muttered.

The door slid open, and in zipped a small white robot that seemed to salute him. It was GO-4 - the “police chief” robot of the Axiom. He moved closer to Brandon and gave him a quick scan, then uttered a few quick beeps.

“Uhh… can I help you…?” Brandon mumbled, shrinking back a bit. GO-4 gave some more blips, flashed his red light, and without warning trapped Brandon and his hoverchair in a tractor beam. “Hey… what the hell’s going on?! Where are you taking me?!”

GO-4 didn’t reply and simply led the hoverchair holding the bewildered passenger to a large room where an elevator sat. GO-4 beeped at another large robot stationed over a massive keyboard, and the elevator was activated. Brandon kept his eyes on the large Typing Bot as he was taken into the elevator, wondering what all of this was about.

Wherever I’m going, I hope they have an extra cup of coffee for me, he thought, leaning back with a sigh.

Once they reached the top, the doors were thrust open, and GO-4 brought Brandon into a dark room where a huge, wheel-shaped robot with a gleaming red lens came to life - the ship’s all-important AUTO Pilot. Brandon was released from GO-4’s beam, and AUTO scanned him over as well.

Brandon was getting frustrated with all the fuss. “What do you think I am? Hamburger in a cup?!”

“Name?” AUTO inquired. Brandon cocked his head.

“Br…andon…” he slowly replied.

“Your full name,” AUTO objected. Brandon scoffed.

“I don’t even know my full name,” he laughed. AUTO made a noise that sounded like a groan as he turned to the computer. Using Brandon’s fingerprints, he was able to turn up all the information on the young man, which was stored on file in the ship’s computer.

NAME: Brandon Lee McCrea
D.O.B.: 08-27-2753 (Age 21)
RACE: Caucasian
HAIR: Brown
EYES: Blue/Grey
HEIGHT: N/A
WEIGHT: 347lbs
KNOWN OCCUPATIONS: None

AUTO turned back to Brandon. “Name of former Captain?”

Brandon raised his eyebrow. “…O’Brien…?”

“Correct,” AUTO said. “Name of Starliner?”

“The Axiom.”

“Correct. Current year?”

“2774.”

“Correct. Name of premises?”

Brandon hesitated, looking around the room. He honestly wasn’t sure where he was.

“…Mysterious, dark room with flashy buttons?”

AUTO didn’t seem to understand what Brandon had said for several moments. “Incorrect. This is the Axiom Bridge - the control room of the Supership.”

Brandon sighed. What the heck was all this about? Why did a couple stupid robots have to come and completely ruin his peaceful morning? How dare they deprive him of his coffee, at that!

AUTO continued with his interrogation. “Hold up your left arm.”

Brandon obeyed.

“Verified. Hold up your right arm.”

Again, Brandon held up the other arm.

“Verified.” AUTO pressed another button on the computer, and a strange device came out of the ceiling that looked like some kind of goggles. It stopped short in front of Brandon’s face, and the computer began to speak.

“Place your eyes in the device and look straight ahead,” it commanded. Cautious and nervously, Brandon leaned forward and looked into the device. “Please wait as computer performs retina scan…”

Okay, I’d really like to know what this crap is all about, he thought, waiting for the computer to finish. All of a sudden, robots are swarming around me and asking me dumb questions and scanning my eyes…! I don’t get it!

“Scan completed,” the computer announced. The device disappeared into the ceiling again, and the lights in the room began to dim. A tune behind him caused Brandon to turn his hoverchair around and face a large, holographic video screen, which was now playing a video by the BnL company.

The video went on to explain the duties of the Captain of the Axiom, which were numerous, to say the least. Brandon’s mind was swimming only a minute into the orientation video.

Waaaait, he began to think, losing his concentration on the video, if this is an orientation for the Captain… does that mean… that I’m…?

“Oh, and one more thing you’ll need to remember,” the voice on the video said, breaking Brandon out of his thoughts. “Clap twice, and you’ll get a hot cup in the morning!”

Brandon’s eyes grew wide. That was all he needed to hear - if the Captain got coffee every morning just by clapping twice, he’d take the job!

When the video was through, he turned to AUTO, who was staring at him the entire time.

“So, let me get this straight,” Brandon began, holding up his hands. “You want me to take over the position of Captain of the Axiom?

“Correct,” AUTO replied. “You must sign computer document before proceeding.”

Brandon was handed a computer pen and asked to sign his name on a small area of the control panel. With a grin, he placed the pen to the pad and wrote out his name the best he could - Brandon Em.

AUTO pressed a button that said “Cancel”. “No,” he objected. “You must sign your name: Captain B. McCrea.”

Brandon frowned. “I don’t know how to write that!” he cried. “And I thought my name was Brandon Em!” AUTO pulled up a screen displaying Brandon’s name.

“Copy the name,” he demanded. Brandon sighed loudly, pressing the pen to the pad all over again. He felt like a kid learning how to write his name in kindergarten.

Jerk, he thought, glancing out of the corner of his eye at AUTO. Once I’m Captain, I’ll show him whose boss!

June - 2805

“Where’s the thingy?” Brandon sputtered, staring at the empty cavity of the EVE Probe in front of him, which was said to have returned from Earth positive.

AUTO was quick to correct him. “Plant.”

“Right, right,” Brandon mumbled, beginning to fumble through the Operation Recolonize manual, which had been given to him after he pressed the green plant button on the control panel. “Well, where is it? Do you think we missed a step?” He read a few paragraphs through, just to make sure, but realized that they hadn’t even gotten past Step One. He turned to AUTO. “Why don’t you scan her, just to be sure.”

AUTO obeyed the command, and he gave EVE a quick scan.

“Contains no specimen,” he announced. “Probe’s memory is faulty.”

Brandon almost felt relieved. “So… we’re not going to Earth?”

“Negative,” AUTO replied. Brandon was feeling better now.

“I guess things go back to normal, huh?”

“Correct, Captain.”

Brandon slapped the book shut. “Well - false alarm; the probe must be defective.” He leaned over. “GO-4, send her to the Repair Ward. Have them run diagnostics on her to make sure she’s not malfunc… ahhh!!!

There, in the corner, was a small, rusty robot that most certainly did not belong on the perfectly clean Bridge. It was a small Earth-Class bot… a WALL•E, from the looks of it. The little robot happily wheeled over and took Brandon’s large, puffy hand.

“WALL•E!” he cried, introducing himself. When he pulled away, he happened to leave some dirt behind in Brandon’s hand. He looked up at AUTO.

“Have, uhh, ‘WALL•E’ cleaned,” he said, and WALL•E was immediately loaded onto the MV-R with EVE.

Brandon excused AUTO, who returned to his post, and went over to the computer to have the dirt analyzed. The computer brought up a visual description of the substance being scanned.

“Analysis: Foreign contaminant. Substance is a three-phase system composed of various combinations of naturally-derived solids…”

Naw, Brandon thought, turning away. This is boring. Get me another cup of coffee before I…

Wait, did he just hear what he thought he heard?

He zipped back over to the computer. “Earth?” he wondered, staring at the computer screen. Out of curiosity, he glanced back at the small model globe on a stand just a few feet away. “Define Earth.”

Instantly, pictures and videos - more than Brandon could have ever imagined - popped up all over the place; completely filling the screen. More than dirt and water - Earth was a place teeming with life and bustling with variety!

“Earth: The surface of the world as distinct from the sky or sea.”

Brandon McCrea was in complete awe and captivation. A hunger welled inside of him; one he had never felt before - it was a yearn for knowledge.

“Wow,” he breathed, taking in all of the images. “Define sea.”

And so the journey began.


That was really good, little_chef_eva09! I was really interested in the story. I like how you started from Brandon McCrea’s childhood. And I was amused at how he thought his last name was “Em”. This was a creative and great idea, to go through Brandon’s life up to when he wanted the computer to define Earth and everything in it. Wonderful fanfic! :smiley:

That was great…i loved how Brandon was the adventurous child at the beginning. That really makes his character seem more real. It fits his personality well.

I also like how you get into Mr. McCrea’s mind. Gerat jobon thought process.

Review 9/10

Very good! I like how you made him a stand out from the very beginning! And it was really amusing that he never knew what his real last name was. Although I still wonder how the bots chose him in the first place.

Thanks, everyone! I was really hoping that you would enjoy the story - I love to write about the things no one necessarily thinks about. :wink:

lennonluvr9: The bots (AUTO and GO-4) go through a selection process; not a very strict one, but one with regulations nonetheless. They stop at random cabins, transport the human to the Bridge, and have them answer a series of questions. If that human can 1), correctly answer the questions, 2) show a slight interest in the things being presented to him/her, and 3) prove that they have good knowledge of their environment, they are chosen as Captain; since AUTO handles most of the complex duties anyhow. Brandon just happened to be that lucky kid that got the job, since he has always posessed a desire to surround himself with information about the world around him.

Hope that makes sense. :stuck_out_tongue:

Like I said, it is almost finished. :smiley: I’ll have to transport the story from my mom’s laptop to my (WORKING) PC, and I’ll wrap it up. Once finished, I’m really hoping that this small story gets the attention it deserves. :wink: I thank everyone whose support is currently with me on my fanfics - you guys are what make me motivated to keep on writing!

little chef

This is the end of the fanfic, guys. I was so proud of myself after I printed this story off and read it over - in its entirety, it is a touching and sincere piece of work.

I hope you enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. :slight_smile:

little chef


Nighttime on the Axiom

It was impossible.

There was no way it could have been done, but she had done it.

EVE held out the long-elusive plant in front of Brandon, who was speechless.

“…How?” he finally breathed, moving towards the probe as fast as he could. EVE let go of the plant, and it fell into Brandon’s hands.

For the first time in his life, he was holding a living piece of the Earth he never knew.

An awe-inspiring thought flashed into his mind, and almost before he could think it, it burst from his lips.

“We can go back home!!!” he cried, clutching the plant. “For the first time!!!” A sudden intrigue filled him, and he turned to EVE. “What’s it like, EVE?”

EVE looked a bit confused; but Brandon, in a whirl of euphoria, turned to the control panel.

“No, don’t tell me,” he sputtered, popping a cylindrical imaging device out of the panel. “I want to see for myself!”

After sticking the device to EVE’s head, images appeared on a holographic screen - small shots of EVE’s endeavor on Earth and her encounters with WALL•E. But the more Brandon watched, the more his hopes sank. The skies were dim and hazy, the ground was bare and littered with garbage, and there was absolutely no sign of other living organisms.

Brandon almost felt like crying. “Where’s the blue sky?” he faltered, turning back to his computer, where lively images of Earth were still playing. “And… and where’s the grass? The rivers and waterfalls…? And where are the farms?”

Desolately, he clung to his plant and faced the holoscreen again. Everything he had hoped to find on Earth didn’t even exist. What was the point of going back when everything was so lifeless?

A tune caught his ear in his deepest moment of depression; a sweet, jolly tune he knew he had heard somewhere.

“Put on your Sunday clothes when you feel down and out…”

A small smile tugged at his lips. He watched the people on EVE’s video capture dancing and having a great time together. Catching the contagious, bouncy beat, he began to tap his feet and made the boot with the plant in it dance as well.

“You made it somehow, huh little guy?” he sweetly asked the plant. “You didn’t give up, did you?”

Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, the little green plant lost one of its leaves - a sign that it was dying. Brandon caught his breath and caught the leaf in midair, then in vain attempted to attach it back to the stem.

“Come on,” he sputtered, biting his lip. Then he remembered something from the videos he had been watching: plants grew when they were given water and sunlight. Maybe if he watered the plant, it would hold on long enough to bring them back home.

He found the wet bar, held the plant underneath the faucet, and let the fresh water penetrate the dry dirt.

“There you go, little guy,” he gently said, brushing the boot off. “You came all that way for a drink of water. You just need someone to look after you… that’s all…”

He stopped in midsentence. Those words, “You need someone to look after you”, rang in the silence. That was it. Earth may be in a garbage-covered, lifeless state, but it would never get better without the nurturing and care of the humans.

Looking out the window that gave a fine view of the stars, he noticed his reflection in the glass. It only took one person to change the way everyone lived forever. And as the Captain of the Axiom, he was ready to lead his passengers and crew into a new generation. No longer would they live in complacency; no longer would they sit idle while their home suffered neglect.

“We have to go back,” he resolved, whispering the words to himself. He pressed a button on his hoverchair that called AUTO on the Bridge. “AUTO, come down here,” he ordered.

“Aye-aye, Sir,” the robot replied.

Moments later, AUTO appeared down in the Captain’s quarters. Brandon held the plant in the air as AUTO turned his way.

“AUTO, EVE found the plant,” he announced. “Fire up the Holo-Detector.”

AUTO moved closer to Brandon. “Not necessary, Captain. You may give it to me.”

Brandon paused, furrowing his brow. “No, you know what…? I should do it myself.”

AUTO didn’t seem to like that move. He disappeared into the ceiling and came back down to stop Brandon, who was on his way to the control panel.

“Sir, I insist you give me the plant,” the robot repeated. Brandon scoffed.

“AUTO, get out of my way,” he snapped, but the sturdy robot didn’t budge.

“We cannot go home.”

Brandon was getting frustrated. “What are you talking about?! Why not?!”

“That is classified, Captain,” AUTO replied, thrusting a mechanical hand out to grab the plant. “Give me the plant.”

“Well, tell me what’s classified, and I might!” Brandon cried, trying as hard as he could to keep it away from the adamant robot. “Tell me, AUTO!!!”

AUTO paused, finally stopped by Brandon’s hand. The captain narrowed his eyes at AUTO.

“That’s an order,” he firmly demanded. After several seconds of silence, AUTO obeyed. He went back to the computer, typed in a code, and a video labeled “TOP SECRET: For AUTO Pilot Eye Only” came on the screen.

The CEO of the BnL Company stood in front of a podium, out of countenance and disheveled. In breathless haste, he told the AUTO Pilot of the failed attempts to finish Operation Cleanup before the 5-year deadline. Because of rising toxicity levels, life on Earth was declared unsustainable, and Operation Recolonize was scrapped. He urged AUTO to stay the course instead of trying to fix the problem - and his last words were, “Do not return to Earth - I repeat: do not return to Earth.”

Brandon was deep in thought, even before the video was finished. AUTO motioned for the plant again, and this time Brandon held up his hand.

“No, wait a minute,” he slowly began. He looked up at the computer screen. “Computer, when was that message sent out to the Axiom?

“Message recieved in the year 2110,” the computer replied. Brandon did some mental math.

“That’s… that’s nearly 700 years ago!” he cried, throwing his hands in the air. “Look, things have changed, AUTO! We’ve gotta go back!”

“Sir, orders are: do not return to Earth,” AUTO stated, once again reiterating his directive.

Brandon shook his head. “But life is sustainable now!” He thrust the plant in AUTO’s lens. “Look at this plant: it’s green and growing. It’s living proof he was wrong!”

AUTO, still as a statue, was unmoved by Brandon’s human desires for a home. “Irrelevant, Captain.”

“What?!” Brandon nearly screamed. “It’s completely relevant!” Moving towards the window, he adamantly pointed outside. “Out there is our home; home, AUTO, and it’s in trouble. I can’t just sit here and do nothing! That’s all I or anyone else on this stupid ship has ever done…! Nothing!!!

“On the Axiom, we will survive,” AUTO declared. But Brandon wasn’t easily swayed by the robot’s demand to return to the status quo.

“I don’t want to survive!” Brandon yelled, gripping the little plant, which had survived despite the conditions. “I want to live!!!

“Must follow my directive,” AUTO answered, still unmoving. Beyond frustrated, Brandon swore and turned from that steady red eye. He knew he had lost the fight.

But glancing up, he rethought that. For the first time, he noticed that behind every photograph of the former captains, AUTO stood at his post near the front of the ship. But in each photograph, as the years progressed, AUTO slowly moved closer and closer. The captains looked less and less determined. But Brandon took a good look at the very last photograph - the one of himself; how he stared into the camera with a look of purpose and dignity in his eyes. He remembered the promise he had made to himself the day he took the position of the Captain of the Axiom…

Once I’m Captain, I’ll show him whose boss…!

He could feel AUTO slowly approaching from behind. With a new sense of determination, he pulled his cap down and furrowed his brow.

No - the fight had only just begun.

He turned to AUTO, holding his firm gaze on the robot’s one glowing lens.

I am the Captain of the Axiom,” he stated, his voice never wavering for a second. He leaned forward in his seat and held the plant tightly. “We are going home… today!


In the midst of an intense battle with AUTO, who refused to let Brandon activate the Holo-Detector for WALL•E and EVE, Brandon struggled to turn on the video camera that displayed feed from the Bridge on every screen available on the Axiom.

Finally, he was able to reach the button, but only for a moment. It was long enough to start the camera.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he cried, attempting to look as put-together as possible, but it was just about impossible to do with AUTO flinging his massive body around the room. “This is your Captain speaking. As you can see, we are having a slight malfunction with the AUTO Pilot. Please remain calm…!”

There was no way of knowing what was happening down on the Lido Deck, since he was being tossed around by AUTO; but he prayed with every second that EVE and WALL•E made it to the Holo-Detector before AUTO could disable it. All he wanted was to get everyone safely home, and he could just imagine them all down there on the Lido Deck cheering him on while he fought with all his might. He knew they were all on his side.

“Enough,” AUTO finally stated, and with one good spin of his wheel, he sent Brandon flying across the room and onto the slick floors.

But worse than Brandon landing on his head on the other end of the Bridge, the entire ship went into a steep left tilt.

Brandon couldn’t keep himself up any longer, and he rolled over onto his back. What could he do now?! He had absolutely no control over the headstrong AUTO, and he was helpless enough in the state he was in!

I have to end this, he thought, still flailing his arms and legs in the air in an attempt to get up. If it’s for anyone, it’s for my passengers!

He finally pulled himself onto his stomach again, and when he looked up, he could see AUTO pressing the button that shut off the Holo-Detector. He bit his lip and furrowed his brow. No - this couldn’t be happening!

But wait a second… why was the button flashing? AUTO attempted to answer that question, and he pulled up a screen that showed what was going on down where the Holo-Detector was. That little garbage bot, WALL•E, was doing all he could to hold the machine up and keep it from closing. Brandon let go of a smile. They were all in this together.

AUTO wasn’t about to let anything happen that went against his plans, and he whipped out his taser and brought it down on the blue Holo-Detector button.

“No!!!” Brandon cried, his eyes fixed on the sight of WALL•E pushing against the weight of the machine, which was closing down faster than before.

It wasn’t any use. The Holo-Detector overtook the garbage bot, and it completely crushed him.

For a moment, Brandon was completely shocked. But determination quickly set in.

That is the very last straw, he decidedly thought, narrowing his eyes at AUTO. In a concentrated effort, he worked to bring himself to his knees. Slowly, carefully, he managed to get his hands underneath him, and with a good push, he brought himself into a standing position.

It was the first time in nearly 700 years that a human had stood on their own two feet. But the fact that the Axiom was in such a steep tilt made the feat all the more incredible.

People down on the Lido Deck were still watching the video up on a huge screen, and they watched their Captain as he walked step-by-step towards AUTO. The Lido Deck was filled with the cheers and shouts of the passengers as they called Brandon’s name and screamed their support.

“AUTO,” Brandon cried, causing the robot to finally turn his way. When AUTO saw that the Captain was actually standing on his feet - his fists clenched and his head held high - he charged at him with his taser. But Brandon was quick to react and grabbed a hold of AUTO’s wheel, fighting hard against the strong, hydraulic robot.

Thoughts of going home flashed through his mind as he struggled to regain control. If he could only bring this all to an end, then they would soon be on their way to Earth. He would be able to free WALL•E from the machine that had crushed him. Everyone and everything would be safe, and they could just go home…

AUTO made a new move to try and cause Brandon to let go, but Brandon held on tighter than ever. In the process, one of AUTO’s knobs had opened a small control panel on the robot’s column, revealing a set of buttons. Brandon looked closer and finally noticed a red button that, with a simple flick, would switch the robot from auto to manual.

That was it!

With all his might, he kept his balance with one arm and reached up towards the column with the other.

“AUTO,” he cried, gritting his teeth, “you are relieved of duty!!!”

His finger met the switch. And within seconds, AUTO was no longer piloting the Axiom.

A satisfied smile spread across Brandon’s lips. He took the wheel into his hands, gave it an expert spin, and set the supership straight again.

And there was no doubt now that they were really on their way back home.

Epilogue

The Axiom had landed safely on Earth, and every single one of her passengers - be it a human or robot - were reintroduced to the home their ancestors had left behind so many hundreds of years ago.

Brandon McCrea had found his true purpose in life in just a few short days. From the moment he laid his eyes on those vibrant images of Earth, he knew that it was his calling to restore that forgotten planet with the help of those who stood behind him. When his bare foot first touched the dry soil of Planet Earth, the tears welled in his eyes and his heart filled with a strange sense of belonging. For the first time in his life, he truly felt that he was home.

They planted their first seed only minutes after landing. Brandon was there to witness every moment, and he vowed that he would look out for these fragile plants and help them flourish.

When he awoke the next morning to watch the sun rise on the eastern horizon, something inside of him stirred. He had never before witnessed such a sight, and he felt so priveliged to call this amazing planet his home. As he sat in awed silence, watching the morning begin, he was inspired to pen the lyrics that came to be well known in the generations that followed his own…

[i]Did you think that your feet had been bound
By what gravity brings to the ground?
Did you feel you were tricked by the future you picked?
Well come on down.
All these rules don’t apply when you’re high in the sky,
So come on down…
Come on down.

We’re coming down to the ground,
There’s no better place to go.
We’ve got snow up on the mountains,
We’ve got rivers down below.
We’re coming down to the ground,
We’ll hear the birds sing in the trees.
And the land will be looked after,
We’ll send the seeds out in the breeze.

Did you think you’d escape from routine
By changing the script and the scene?
Despite all you made of it, you were always afraid
Of a change.
You’ve got a lot on your chest, well you can come as my guest;
So come on down…
Come on down.

Like the fish in the ocean, we felt at home in the sea.
We learned to live on the good land, we learned to climb up a tree.
Then we got up on two legs, but we wanted to fly.
And when we messed up our homeland, we set sail for the sky.

We’re coming down,
Coming down to Earth;
Like babies at birth,
Coming down to Earth.
We define new priorities;
These are extraordinary qualities
That you find on Earth.[/i]

~ This is not the end of the story;
it’s only the beginning
of an ongoing legacy
that will never be forgotten. ~

That was great…loved the ending. It was like a Brandon version of Walle.

Review

9/10

A very heart felt story to anyone who loved the little robot Walle. A must read…

This is probably one of the very few fanfics centered around Captain B. McCrea, and I’m sure glad his character wasn’t ‘mutilated’, so to speak. WALL-E gives us plenty of time to see what type of person the Captain is, but this story just takes it to a whole new level. We get to see what type of person he is, what drives him, what he thinks about certain things, and even what his life was like before becoming the Captain of the Axiom. You sure won’t see that anywhere else, and I’m glad I got to know more about him! And like I said before, this would be perfect for a novel version of WALL-E. :smiley:

From now on, whenever I watch WALL-E, I’ll think of the captain in a new light. :wink: You did a great job of writing this, little chef! :smiley:

That was remarkable. :astonished: Most of the time, I would take the Captain’s character for granted in the movie. But this truly enjoyable fanfiction takes the reader straight to the heart of his importance and persistance, and lets us also live through the scenes and experience his life. :smiley: I also love what you said in bold at the end- you put a lot of thought into this.

Very cool! I love fics that show what certain characters are thinking as the rest of the movie plays out. Especially when they stay true to the character like this one! I wonder if AUTO then ‘regretted’ picking him as captain since he seemed to ‘rebel’ so much :slight_smile:

Awesome, you must have put a lot of time into that! sounds legit! :slight_smile:

JesusFreak, bright dot-dasher, and lennonluvr9…
Your words have touched me in ways I can’t describe, and I’m not even joking. I’m not singling you guys out to make anyone else feel less important; don’t get me wrong. But I’m honestly touched to hear these kind of heartfelt words about something I poured so much of myself into. Thing is… I don’t want anyone to read my fanfic and tell me it’s good if they really don’t agree with it. But I could tell you guys enjoyed it to the fullest. Thank you all so, sooo much!!! :smiley:

CMB: Actually, this didn’t take me very long to write; a week at the most. I had started it on my mom’s laptop to get my mind off of my “computer crash”, but once I got my computer fixed, the rest of the story fell into place in less than two days. :smiley: And just an inside secret… I didn’t watch the movie at all to write my reinterpretations. :wink: hehehe

      ~~~~~~

I’m so glad that you feel that Brandon stayed in-character. That’s something that I’ve always struggled with. But to hear you all tell me that it sounded just like him, it makes me feel so much more confident about myself. :smiley:

And I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if, after reading this fanfic through, people around the board started referring to the Captain as “Brandon.” (Secretly hope that happens… :wink: haha!)

I’d love more readers! Keep the comments coming, guys! Makes me so happy…!

little chef

Wow, this is most excellently written! I like multiple POVs from a film, so seeing the events of Wall-E through the Captain’s eyes were entertaining, to say the least.

I like the foreshadowing in his childhood and teen years, and his ‘interview’ by AUTO (Especially when he kept thinking about coffee without realizing the immensity of the task ahead of him!).

Oh, and the way he signs his name was a touch! :smiley:

Just a slight spelling error, in his line “Once I’m Captain, I’ll show him whose boss!”, it’s supposed to be “who’s” with an apostrophe. Short for “who is”, see. Sorry I have to be the grammar police! :stuck_out_tongue:

I also find it amusing that he pens Peter Gabriel’s theme song! Neato!

And it’s pretty amazing you can recall the scenes in detail without having to refer to the movie! I really like your “author’s voice” and your vocabulary (you know, how you use different ways of describing characters’ speech and feelings instead of other authors who use simpler words like “said”, “shout”, “happy”, “sad”).

You have attempted what no authors (to my knowledge) have done and described the movie (not to mention a prologue and an epilogue included) from the Captain’s ‘vantage point’, so you instantly win ‘creativity’ points for that! I’d like to see you attempt something ‘bolder’, like a sequel to the movie, or a fan-made character, but this effort in itself is awesome as it is! Kudos! :smiley:

Yes, this is one of my signature touches - foreshadows and flashbacks. In nearly every work of mine, you’ll find something like it hidden somewhere in there. I like to add a lot of detail, so it gives the reader a lot to chew on; but it sacrifices time and takes the reader much longer to digest and read. :unamused: But I’ve heard a lot of people say it is worth it in the end.

And about the signing the name thing - if someone ran around telling you your name was “Brandon M.” all your life, wouldn’t you assume it was your real name? I’m glad most everyone caught on to this! :wink:

Geez, and I’m the one constantly fixing my Mom’s grammar! :blush: I’ll change this as soon as I can. Thank you sincerely for pointing it out!

Yeah, I’m kind of a fanatic, I guess… :unamused: But I’m certainly not ashamed to show it! :wink:

I’m also glad you picked up on this as well. After almost five/six years of writing, I’ve been able to draw a lot from things I’ve read, but I’ve created my own style in the process. I find it hard to read a work that contains a lot of “he said” “she said”-type stuff, so I change it up as much as I can. It also helps to give the reader a better idea of how the dialogue is being delivered.

Aww, geez… thank you. :slight_smile: This story has really helped me (and by the comments I’ve received, some of the other members) view the Captain in a new light; even giving me a better respect for his important role in the movie. And it is true - not many people actually take the time to really break down the thought processes of characters or describe the movie from another character’s point of view. And I have already begun a “bolder” endeavor - Psyche OS X, my new/old fanfic, is basically a sequel to the movie and includes a fan-made character which will appear soon. :wink:

Thank you all so much for your wonderful comments and thank you also for taking the time to read my work. :slight_smile: Sorry if I took up a lot of time here… that particular post was one I just had to break down and reply to in pieces. :smiley: Thank you, TDIT!

little chef

In the words of Remy, “Pure poetry.”

9/10