KETTY'S SUBDIVISION Wattys2017

Chapter 20-Part III

"So, this is who the trouble is all about. I can see he takes after you in his appearance," Greer smiled at Ketty.

"I never thought about it," but she liked him already.

"Max, come here boy." The small bot made an appearance and Boondock began gyrating uncontrollably. Then Max jumped right into his lap and began licking him.

"Mistress, can I keep him?" Max was all up in his face, driving the chair back into a reclined position. Artificial drool poured out of the dog-bot's mouth as he licked and nuzzled Boondock. She had to laugh but turned to Greer who was preparing to get under way.

"When are you going to tell me how I get ownership of my bots?" She tried to be serious, but Greer felt like a father to her already. Was it her insatiable need to be loved, or a futile grasp at something ordinary and good? She cursed herself for being weak, knowing there was a name for her condition, she just couldn't think of it.

"All in good time. There are some unanswered questions about your past that may shed light on why your robots are so important." But he hated himself already. If he handed Boondock over and his plan failed, she would never forgive him and they might all die.

"I don't see how that can help."

"I went to your parent's old farm on Bar-clay-tagrina." He paused to see the look of surprise on her face. "Ahh, you do remember."

Ketty didn't mind the feeling of something familiar, like deja'vu, it gave her a rush. "I remembered something important since our last conversation. I had two uncles who were renowned robot engineers. One of them saved my life when some robots went rouge."

"What were their names?"

"Uncle Blizzard and Uncle Cranston."

"I have something to show you, but it may come as a shock." Boondock and Purline were pointing out the view screen while Greer brought them in low to the ground. The ship blasted past a large metropolis and out into the countryside, but within minutes they came upon a large estate. Without thinking, he deftly maneuvered them down next to a neat row of spaceships in front of the mansion.

"Do you recognize this photo?" He pulled out his tablet and showed Ketty a picture of the artificial wizard. The face was twisted and grotesque, but the image of a man could be seen below the surface. Color drained from her face, as if her bot had been used for scrap and Greer knew that his hunch was correct. He fit the last pieces of the puzzle together.

For Ketty, it was altogether different. The images came flooding back in a chain reaction. First her childhood on her father's farm, then a thousand military men, and finally the protesters that led to the robot rebellion.

"That looks like my Uncle Cranston." Her face grew pale and memories swirled around in her mind. Reality seemed to tilt on its axis.

"From what I can determine, your Uncle decided to make the ultimate sacrifice and turn himself into a robot," said Greer. "And your Uncle Blizzard is producing robots by the thousands and shipping them to the Firm even as we speak. He has been doing it for years but I don't know where they are being stored."

"Is that even possible?" Ketty asked.

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