Over to the side of the mysterious asteroid was a diagonal slice that had what appeared to be windows cut out. But Ketty realized it was the loading dock, a massive structure where the ships from Jar-sedan now arrived. This was where the robots had been coming from! She could see the Mc'kee label emblazoned on the side of the ship they had seen a few minutes earlier and it was a sight to behold. Now its true size was revealed in contrast to the surrounding structure and Ketty felt like she had died and gone to heaven. Then the scream came again, closer this time.

"What is the meaning of this?" His voice was amplified to carry the distance, for he was still a speck, but in seconds he approached on his small strike board. He seemed very furious, almost indignant, but when he arrived his demeanor changed. They could see he was a sight to behold when he greeted them with a casual smile that was innocent and disarming, yet his blue eyes and blond hair didn't fit the stereotypical security guard one would expect. Even Kato found him intriguing as he fawned over meeting the girls, shaking each of their hands in a perfunctory greeting that spoke of the dichotomy between his annoyance and the loneliness he felt living here. But he wanted to know what they were doing, even though it was obvious they had accessed the genetic lock.

"I am Barren Sand Denoy, keeper of the watch." He looked eighteen but may have been going on eighty for all they knew. If he was the only one here, his life on this barren outpost was a study in loneliness. He would have been more at home on the beach with a surfboard than here, yet he knew about the Mc'kee family, and the altering blood lines that resided within the family. Those blood lines were thin except their passion for robots that held them inextricably together. Like inseparable parts of the same body that were joined but had nothing to do with each other, the Mc'kee family didn't hang out much. The fighting factions were long and drawn out, as if they had been feuding for a hundred generations, still, Ketty Mc'kee was part of one obscure genetic break that seemed to stand apart from the others. In fact, the boy Denoy knew the entire Mc'kee history, yet it was something he was unwilling or unable to admit to. Family history was something he was forbidden to discuss under any pretense.

The boy Denoy hovered inches away from the small balcony where Ketty's crew sucked in the sweet, fresh air that floated up from the oxygen generators embedded in the floor. "I would ask what the meaning of this is if you hadn't already intruded on my considerable work load, but it seems you are welcome guests with sufficient clearance to make me accept you. So, welcome to the Rock, home of the robot production destination storage facility. You will find accommodations to the right, down these stairs and follow the green line."

Ketty wasn't ready to be dismissed that easily. "Who owns these robots?"

"There is no ownership. They are property of the Mc'kee Estate and are slated for open source programming with the proper clearance. Since Mon-catasto is dead," he turned to Mikenzy, "and I am sorry for your loss, any authorized person can access the robot pool."

Thoughts raced through Ketty's head as she calculated the possible uses of these bots. She turned to the others. "You guys make yourselves comfortable, look around, and get to know the place. Mikenzy, Rayleen, Kato, you're with me. I have some questions for Barren."

"Yipp, yipp," came from Ketty's feet, where Max waited obediently.

"I'm sorry little guy, you can come too." She picked him up and jumped on the waiting strike board which appeared from a hidden recess. They stepped off the balcony and moved slowly towards the docking station with Barren in the lead, spouting off facts and figures like an automated tour guide.

"All the robots here are waiting for specific training depending on their field of deployment. Ahead is the spaceport recess where ships from Jar-sedan are off loaded. The facility is completely self-sufficient and automated except for myself..." He turned to see he was alone, while Ketty tried to coax Purline onto his board.

"Come on, Purline, you can do it."

"I'm afraid my subroutines don't include motorized sporting activity, I can run to keep up."

"It's miles Purline, get on my board, I'll take you."

"You are not the safe driver I would hope for on such a dangerous contraption, perhaps Master Kato would be obliged to chauffer me?"

"Fine, but do hurry up," her agitation was on her sleeve now, erupting like a volcano.

Purline clung to Kato's waist like he was about to die. "I'm not sure if I offended the Miss, but she seems to be reacting rather harshly."

"I'll take care of you little buddy, don't mind her, she can be mean at times."

"Please keep the speed down if you would, sir."

Ketty turned to Barren and said, "Show me the Programming Interface first."

"You don't waste any time, do you?" asked Barren. "Very well, right this way."

Ketty didn't like the look in his eye. There was something about this place that was too perfect, too good to be true. Last year she would have trusted anyone, but lately human nature seemed to be rotting from the inside out. She had been betrayed too many times, and she wasn't about to let this seemingly harmless boy man get the best of her.

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