THE FUR AROUND ROBO’S ROBOTIC EYE was still smoking. He pushed past his deputies. Unknown walked toward him, her head down and small ears limp.
“Ro-robo?”
Robo quickly turned around, and gripped his jaws around her throat to subdue her. She could feel his teeth, and whimpered with fear.
“Shut up!” Robo snarled, letting go of Unknown. “You can’t do anything right. None of you ‘full’ dogs can. I can’t count on any of you anymore—not you, not that stupid Snow, none of you. All of that intelligence is wasted.”
He turned to his deputies, lifting his paw toward his pack, and bellowed, “Do what these worthless full-ones have failed to do.”
The metal from his deputies was shining in the morning sunlight streaming through the windows. They answered with a crisp, “Yes, Robo.”
Robo pulled up his tracker, and found that Blue and Raven had collapsed in the sand.
“They’re already half-dead,” he said, mildly pleased. Addressing his commander, he said, “Finish the job and get that orb.”
The commander turned back to the deputies. “Let’s go.”
As they filed out, Robo decided to walk the halls of his headquarters. There were no puppies, just the sound of dogs barking and growling, the clank of metal limbs on the floors and stairs, commands being uttered, and the constant hum of the ventilation system.
Suddenly, he saw a human running. Robo was startled— and alarmed. Quickly, he chased and tackled the human, pinning him to the ground.
Robo snarled at him, “Where are you going?”
The human, staring at the teeth inches from his face, tried to use his hands as protection. His wire rim glasses were bent, and Robo’s claw had left a cut on his cheek with a few drops of blood now splattered on his white lab coat.
Robo felt the presence of another dog. He turned his head to see Clover.
“Clover, why is this human here, out of its area?”
Clover gulped air, but answered honestly. “He tried to escape. He started to run, and I was chasing him to put him back in the lab.”
Robo rolled his eyes. “Well do it! Now!”
Clover began to drag the engineer by his leg back to the lab.
Robo returned to the control room, enjoying the still solace and soothing blue light from his monitors.
Sabu interrupted his thoughts.
“What now?”
“The scientists have developed a new formula,” he said. “But we need a test subject.”
Sabu glanced at a monitor for a long time, which showed the Saint Bernard dragging the scientist back with gentle force.
“Not that one,” Robo said. “I have a much better choice— the yellow Labrador. Max.”