Under the cover of darkness, the Piffle Pink Patrol approached the Lane settlement. Vesuvia watched from inside the head of Geri, her titanic robot giraffe. Didi dangled from her eyestalk beside Vesuvia’s head.

Outside the viewport, it was quiet. The treetops were still. She couldn’t make out the drab, poorly arranged shelters those undignified Lanes were huddling in, but according to Didi, they were there, just beyond the line of trees.

“Forward!” Vesuvia shouted. Geri raised one of her front legs, big as a telephone pole, and marched into the forest.

Bzzzt!

The electrical charge surged through Geri, jolting Vesuvia and making her hair stand on end. Didi spun wildly in a circle.

“What in the name of sweet shopping was that?”

“Electromagnetic pulse detected. Auxiliary power systems enabled.”

“Speak English, Didi!”

“That was English. Read a book, you bratty pumpkin.”

“Pumpkin?! I’ll rewire you into a hair dryer!” Vesuvia dove at the robotic eye.

Didi rose above Vesuvia’s head, out of reach.

“Your impotent threats mean nothing to me, Vesuvia.”

Growling under her breath, Vesuvia rushed to the controls and flung them forward. “Full speed ahead!”

Didi sounded frantic. “Vesuvia, no, wait!”

Geri took another step, and an even bigger surge of electrical energy rattled the robot giraffe. The viewscreen went blank. The control console powered down. The overhead lights switched off, plunging the cockpit into darkness.

“Hey! Who turned off the lights?” Vesuvia tripped and tumbled to the floor with a clang.

After a few seconds, the light in Didi’s eye flickered back on. “You did,” she explained, her voice low and slow before it wound back up to its normal tempo. “The Lanes have installed a force field around the perimeter of their settlement. Any attempts to pass technology through the field will result in a complete system shutdown.”

“Any technology?” Vesuvia asked in disbelief. “Even my robo-birds? Even my pocket tablet?”

“Anything,” Didi said. She took control of Geri and maneuvered away from the edge of the force field. The rest of the Piffle Pink Patrol followed.

“So how do we get in?” Vesuvia asked. She wasn’t used to such setbacks. Not being able to smash the entire Lane settlement into tiny little pieces made her brain feel like a hot tub with the bubbles and heat cranked all the way up.

“Scanning . . .” The lights in Geri’s head turned back on, and the control console powered up. “Connection established. Would you like to disable the EMP shield?”

“What do you think?” Vesuvia snapped. “Of course I would!” With the shield in place, any attempt to enter the Lane settlement would cause all her pretty pink robots to short circuit.

Apathetically, Didi replied, “Access denied. Password verification required.”

Password. Vesuvia didn’t like the sound of that. “Didi, quick, hack their system. I want to smash them! Hurry!”

“Decryption enabled.” The light in Didi’s eye blinked on and off rapidly, the way some computers do when they’re thinking very hard. “I’m sorry, Vesuvia, but the security of this system is beyond my capacity. We will have to find the password some other way.”

“So it’s impossible then! Hopeless!”

Didi groaned. “You, my dear, whine more than the jet engine I used to date. I’ve never seen a human be so quick to quit.”

“Well, what’s the solution, then?”

“I’m sure you can figure it out if you give it some thought.”

Vesuvia hated the way Didi was always playing games with her, like she was trying to teach her something. Vesuvia hated school. She hated learning. She hated thinking, unless it was about what to eat or what to wear. So Didi’s attempts to educate Vesuvia were super annoying.

But the AI was right about one thing. Complaining wasn’t going to get them through the force field. Whining wouldn’t smash the Lane settlement. How could she get through?

At Condo Corp, passwords were closely guarded secrets. Only the highest-level officials were told secret codes. Most of those officials were members of Vesuvia’s own family. So it stood to reason that those loser Lanes might do the same. That meant the only people with the password would be the ugly parents, that nerdy boy Rick, and—

Ew. Double ew. Vesuvia scrunched up her face in disgust.

Didi purred, “My optical sensors detect displeasure, but also a positive realization. Would you like to share, Vesuvia?”

Vesuvia did not want to share, but she didn’t see any other option. “Evie Lane knows the password. I’m sure of it.”

“Wonderful! She’s in a holding cell back at the Mastercorp dreadnought. How will you get her to reveal the password to you?”

Shuddering at the thought, Vesuvia said, “I’m going to have to be nice to her.”