She was holding Kat’s stolen rifle.

Why was she holding Kat’s rifle? More alarmingly, why was she pointing it at the other robot?

“Leo Fender, I am detecting a sudden increase in your carotid pulse,” Number Nine said. Just before his head erupted in a shower of sparks.

Planet: 641-57-3

Local Name: Earth

Primary Composition: Oxygen, iron, silicon, magnesium, aluminum

Atmosphere: Oxygen, nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide

Biomes: Aquatic, grassland, forest, desert, tundra

Intelligent Life: Present

Concentration of EL-486: High

Threat Level: Moderate

Environmental Stability: Fragile

Previous Off-World Contact: None

Acquisition Priority: High

Recommendation: Planet 641-57-3 represents a valuable potential resource and should be secured immediately. The dominant species has limited space travel capabilities but has recently been made aware of EL-486—though they have not yet harnessed its full power. This species is highly intelligent but militant in nature and will likely resist with force if invaded. A peaceful approach is recommended, with the hopes of retaining them as an ally; however, military intervention would be justified to ensure access to the planet’s considerable deposits. Control of the planet’s energy supplies is and will always be the primary objective, but the humans themselves could prove a valuable resource if properly motivated and controlled.

Note: It is believed the Djarik are not aware of the planet’s existence. Therefore it is imperative that we make first contact and establish our presence immediately.

—Aykari Planetary Scouting Report (translated), Earth year 2044

Lost and Found

HE PRAYED FOR IT TO STOP. HUDDLED UNDER HIS desk, hands over his ears, elbows poking out like tusks. The sound of the alarm drowned out his own unsteady breathing.

He shouldn’t be freaking out like this. He knew it was coming. He’d had fair warning. Mr. Markenson walked his students through the process that morning, reading instructions off an old-fashioned printout.

“Sometime today we are going to have a code gray. The alarms will go off. The doors will autolock and the metal shutters on the windows will drop. Emergency lighting will kick on. Someone from the front office will signal what the code is. When all of that happens, we will huddle under our desks, wrapping our hands around our heads. And we will stay that way until we get the all clear. During that time I expect you all to be still and remain calm. The drill is expected to take three minutes. Are there any questions?”

Adam Crowley, a kid Leo had never considered likable or even tolerable, raised his hand.

“What’s the point? I mean, if the Djarik ever decide to bomb us again, it’s not going to help. It’s a desk. Not a force field.”

Not likable. But he had a point.

“You’re right, Adam. Your desk is not a force field. Neither is it a doodle pad nor a trash can nor a chewed-gum depository, yet you seem to think otherwise. The point is to stay orderly and to not panic. We don’t know what kind of attack the Djarik might try next. It doesn’t hurt to be prepared for any possibility.”