WALL-E 2.0 19 Septuacentennial

Milton watched the Security Screen smugly as WALL-E was led by the EVEs toward the bridge.  "He gave a good chase," he gloated, "but as always, Right came Forth."

McCrea practically gagged at the wretched pun, but in all he was actually happy the loathsome businessman was distracted.  He'd slowly been circling around the Control Panel without his captors noticing, and if he remembered the console's construction right, he was almost to a very useful panel...just a little further.  "Success has not yet been achieved." Auto reminded them all sternly.  "The Retrieval Team has not yet recovered the missing passenger."

"A task they have five more minutes to achieve, I'd like to add." Milton reminded sternly.  

Auto simply spun his spokes in response.  

Snubbed by the wheel, Milton turned his attentions to Forthright, who quickly stiffened.  "Five more minutes and then your silly little...Farm project gets left in the dust.  Where it belongs." he said with a sharp laugh.  

McCrea scowled.  "You don't know the first thing about where we belong!" he retorted angrily.  "You just want to send us back into Space so you can...can use us!"

Milton wagged a finger at the Captain.  "Nonsense.  I just want to provide for you in a way Earth can't."

"But Earth provides for us in a way you can't!" the Captain shot back immediately.  "On Earth, we live!  We stand on our own two feet, and we take care of the planet just like it takes care of us!  Like it takes care of everything that lives on it.  With you, we sit around like slobs...devolving into nothing but empty skin!  And the Earth suffers because we don't take care of it anymore!  That's the sort of Nightmare we lived in for 700 years, and we're not going back!"

THERE!  With a slam, the ship's light system deactivated entirely.  Auto, infrared eye seeing clearly, immediately swivelled about and pushed the Captain aside, hoping to fix the problem quickly.  Yet when the lights reactivated a few moments later...the EVEs had no prisoner.  "The WALL-E has escaped." Auto observed angrily.  "ALL EVE units, fan out and locate the WALL-E."

"Locate...WALL-E..." the EVE stationed on the bridge whispered softly.

Auto turned a sharp eye to her, then to the grinning Captain.  "Happy hunting, One-Eye." McCrea said dryly.