"Oh don't be a drama queen. It'll be as painless as we can make it. I've got a way to get you in one of the Martian dreadnoughts and you won't even have to find them. They'll find you." Jab said as she rummaged for something in one of her desk drawers. "Ah, there it is." She passed a small object to Cat.

"What's this?"

"Standard issue Martian locator. We got it from one of their spies."

"Dead spy?" Cat asked Jab.

"Yes, they're not exactly the cooperating kind."

"How many more dead Martians are you going to need before all this is finished?"

Jab barked a short brutal laugh. "Ironic, coming from the Commander. How many people did you directly or indirectly kill? I'll remind you that we were fine with stopping the fight after we won the second war and go back to the important task of colonizing and surviving the next decades. But no, you guys had to whine and bitch. You couldn't put your pride aside and decided to commit cowardly terrorist acts, killing women and children in schools none the less." Jab leaned on her desk to bring herself closer to Cat's furious face. "This has to stop. We have to stop the Martians at all cost! The survival of the human race is at stake here."

"Bullshit!" Cat roared. "You just want to control everything! Our leader is King Henry, he answers to Queen Fatara. And who do you think she answers to? You! People are not blind! They know. The Martians know and they won't let you dictate your will to them you controlling bitch!"

Jab grabbed Cat's throat and lifted her bodily across the desk, bringing its contents to the floor in a resounding crash. She pinned Cat to the wall. "I may be a controlling bitch but I do what I do because I know things you people wouldn't believe. There is this entity. This teacher. Very old, very alien. They help semi-sentient beings achieve the last step towards sentience and guide them in an invisible but firm hand. Humanity's teacher got killed before she could guide us and her mate is having concerns that we could turn wild. And you know what happens with wild animals when they're uncontrollable. They get put down. I need your help put an end to this insanity before the teacher decide that humanity needs to be put down like the rabid animals we are. So here's a novel idea, why don't you do the right thing for once in your miserable life. If you still know the difference between right and wrong that is." Jab lowered a coughing Cat.

Tiffy came in the room like a rush of wind. "Out! You'll be the death of her! Out and stay out of the way"

Cat went outside, rubbing her bruised neck, watching Tiffy help Jabrina sit down on her immense chair before the door closed.

"Wow... that went well."

Cat looked up and saw Araken observing her.

"Were you waiting outside the door to see how this would turn out?" Cat asked the Reyjak.

"Yes, I am here to learn after all. Was it not the best place for me to be to learn the most of your visit?"

Cat eyed him warily and left him there without a word. She had enough of people, Reyjak or otherwise. She went to the equipment room to find it empty. No Bentley. She had hoped to find him there, she donned her protective suit and went to the airlock.

The walk was strangely soothing. Even wearing this uncomfortable and bulky apparatus. She was able to forget it as she walked and marveled at the statues standing guard around this blasted island. Duty. They represented duty. Watching and protecting the people of the island for a thousand years. They didn't do such a good job.

As did she.

She had failed her people. Even when they had come to her in her hospital room during her first awakening twenty-eight years ago. She'd told Jaak to forget about her. To tell her people that she was dead. Her people had needed her. They were ruled by an entity that called themselves 'The Presidium'. They had needed her and she had refused to help them. Now, they were under the rule of this Presidium who's agenda was completely unknown. They had come out from the aftermath of their defeat and nobody knew where they had come from.

A kilometer later, she came up to a gentle hill and was about to put her booted foot down when she gasped and stopped her foot from landing on what she had just seen. Another statue. Lying on the ground as if it was resting. The people of this island had started carving the statue but probably hadn't had time to finish him. Some scrawny grass was growing all around him and his resting place. He looked at peace.

Rest well my friend.

She climbed the hill, watching not to rip her suit. It wouldn't be as catastrophic as in space but this suit didn't have the nano-repair system that patched ripped spacesuits and being exposed to these elements would require some very intrusive and uncomfortable decontamination. She got to the top and saw a small lake inside a volcanic crater. Probably another volcano. This island had three main volcanoes and this seemed to be a crater of some sort. She spied a small stone outcrop next to an ancient structure that looked like a tourist guide enclosure. On an old plank of wood, she could barely read 'Rano Raraku'. She sat down on the wooden platform next to the structure overlooking the crater and observed the scenery. It was peaceful here and she needed to be alone in silence to regroup her thoughts. Jab had shaken her. On one hand, she had to help the Martians find their place in this new world and on the other hand, she had to stop their terror attacks. Their approach was completely the wrong thing to do. It only brought them hatred. If they continued, nobody would care about their cause. Nobody would care about them and their children. They would be hunted down and exterminated.

Like animals.

She would help Jab and the colonies. Not the Coalition. She would help her people understand how to re-join humanity. They had to and if this meant to betray them by finding how they got through the space-bridges. So be it.

She heard a noise behind her. Surprised, she turned around expecting Bentley but found only Ronald walking up to her.

"How the hell did you find me?" Cat asked the robot.

"It is your first time on this island. This is the only point of interest within a reasonable radius of distance."

"Oh, seen like that, it looks easy."

"Now, I feel like Sherlock Holmes revealing the path of his reasoning and having people underestimate his power of deduction."

Cat had to laugh at that. "You read Sherlock Holmes?"

"I read in my spare time. Humans fascinate me and one way to understand them is to read what they write."

"Why not try talking to them?"

"I find most humans are uncomfortable in a robot's presence and they express this discomfort in various ways."

"One of them being bigotry." Cat added.

"I wouldn't go that far."

"But I would. I hate the way they treat you and your kind." Cat said.

"Oh, I don't know about that miss Catherine. Bentley helps a lot with robot-human relations. Humans respect him. He is directly connected to the boss. She owns him."

"She owns you doesn't she?"

"It's not the same. She considers him her child. People know it and they respect him."

"Sit down. So why did you try to find me?"

"Bentley sent me to see if you were alright. He was worried after your interview with the boss."

"Why didn't he come himself?" Cat said hotly.

"He is himself trying to cope with seeing his creator again and it usually takes him a little while to re-adjust. You will see him shortly."

"Why are you guys not protected from the elements?"

"Too expensive. We're cheap models and it would cost too much to protect us fully. The only advantage would be that we could go inside protected spaces which we never do. When our work is done here, we will be shipped to our next location. It is much more efficient that way."

"But you'll be stuck here on Earth! When everything is done, they'll leave you here. They can't bring contaminated robots to Aurora or Trantor. Eventually, you'll be left here to run out of power in a hundred years or so and be forgotten. It's so unfair to you."

"Listen miss Catherine... I was created to obey. To work and obey without question to humans. Period. What choice do I have? They put these robotic laws in my brain matrix. To remove them would render my brain incomplete and therefore useless. Bentley's brain was created without those laws. He is complete without them. For me, they are a part of my operating system. They're not literal, they are lines of code that create potentials and situation evaluation that would be completely off if I didn't have them. They are essential to my good operation. I couldn't function without them. I couldn't move, speak or interact with the world. I wouldn't know how. Don't be sad for us robots. We're not. We wouldn't know how." Ronald said.

"Now THAT is so sad Ronnie."

"Ronnie?"

"You don't mind?"

"No, of course not. I like it. Most of us have only serial numbers. Miss Jabrina named me for convenience."

"Ronnie it is then. What would you like?"

"What would I...?" The robot repeated confused.

"Yes, what would make you happy. More... efficient."

"Well, if you are offering your help..."

"Anything."

"Come with me. I need your help adjusting my servos. I can't do it myself but I'll guide you and tell you what to do."

"Deal." Cat said as they made their way towards the garage.

Bentley got Ronnie's message and came out to the garage. A strange scene was waiting for him when he got there. He peeked inside to see a long lineup of waiting robots. Cat was working in the shoulder access of one of them, totally absorbed in her work.

"Should I be jealous?" He said, coming inside.

The robot getting work done on his shoulder stopped giving instructions to Cat and both looked up to see Bentley approaching them.

"Hey." Cat said as she bent down to work again.

"Hey. What are you doing? Ronald told me to come here if I wanted to find you." Bentley said.

"3mm hex nut, torque it to 0.3 lbs/ft. Nice. You are skilled." The robot getting work done on himself said to Catherine.

"Thanks EF8911. Is it any better?"

"It makes a world of difference."

"Good." She looked at Bentley as EF8911 got up and gave his spot to another robot. "I'm working on adjusting the servos of some of these guys. Their maintenance is overdue. It helps clear my mind. I'm guessing you heard about my interview with Jab?"

"Yes. She lost her temper and now she's paying for it. She's been bedridden since then."

"Oh no! Will she be alright?" Cat asked him worried.

"She'll be alright. Don't worry. Tiffy is with her. I would avoid Tiffy for a while." Bentley looked around. "Can I help?"

Cat sighed in relief. "I thought you'd never ask."