The address they were summoned to wasn’t at FutureRobot’s headquarters but in some remote field about twenty kilometers outside the city. Daniel and Jasper had agreed he’d swing by their place, switch cars, and head out in Jasper’s. Jasper hated riding in Daniel’s car. Every time he had to, he’d curse the whole way. Daniel’s car was a two-seater, and he always told Jasper it was meant for picking up chicks, not pigs like him. Jasper would fire back with a swear.

  Jasper’s car, though, was a full-on SUV—big enough to cram at least ten people inside, though definitely not ten as heavy and bulky as him. They drove along what felt like a secondary road, one the highway had rendered obsolete. But it was the only path leading to the destination they’d been given.

  “You see that?” Jasper drove with one hand, pointing ahead into the distance with the other.

  On the horizon, a massive hangar loomed into view—more iron than anything else, sprawling across an area the size of at least four football stadiums. At first glance, it wasn’t impressive; it looked like an oversized warehouse.

  “That’s gotta be it.”

  “You see the train behind that iron beast? There’s a train.”

  Daniel squinted. His eyesight had been acting up lately, but he refused to wear glasses. Sure enough, on one side of the hangar, there was a train and a railway line disappearing into the mountain.

  “When I was a student, I rode trains all the time and knew every line by heart. Never seen this one before.”

  “Maybe it’s theirs.”

  “A whole railway line? Where’s this guy getting that kind of money?”

  “He’s been building robots his whole life. And by robots, I don’t just mean humanoid tin cans. All kinds of machines. Probably not alone anymore, though—he’s got a team big enough to churn out hundreds of robots a day. That’s my guess.”

  “I hadn’t heard of him until the other day,” Jasper said, scratching his head. “Actually, I did some digging, bro.”

  “Miracle you had the time.”

  “Hey, you know how it is. Even guys more successful than you get a break sometimes.” Jasper flashed a greasy grin, his chubby cheeks crumpling as his lips stretched wide. “So, what’s with these tests? They gonna touch my junk?”

  “Could be.”

  “But women or men? I’ve got some morals.”

  “You? Morals?”

  “Alright, not morals—I misspoke. I’ve got rules. No more guys touching my balls.”

  “When did that ever happen before?”

  Silence fell in the car, followed by both of them bursting into laughter.

  In front of the hangar—what they’d dubbed it—tons of cars were parked. Jasper’s SUV slotted in among them. Most were new and shiny, with only a couple of older ones tucked away at the edges of the lot, their owners likely trying to keep them out of sight.

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  They entered through two sliding doors that looked odd against the iron walls surrounding them. Inside, though, the scene was nothing like the exterior suggested.

  “Whoa,” Jasper exclaimed first, and he wasn’t easily impressed.

  The walls were iron on the inside too, just slightly more decorated, but what stood out was the swarm of robots filling the hall. In one corner was something like a café, simply named “Coffee.” Outside it, customers sat while waitstaff—human from the waist up, but with toy-car-like wheels instead of legs—rolled around them.

  Nearby, several gardens were enclosed by stone walls, tended by more robots. One watered plants, another carefully maneuvered a gardening tool between them.

  In the opposite corner, a slew of couches sat under a sign marking it as a rest area. In front of them were escalators, both leading to the underground levels—one bringing people back up, the other taking them down.

  “Hello, your names?”

  They hadn’t noticed her, too caught up gawking at everything. A redheaded beauty stood before them—hair tied in a bun, pale skin, red glasses. She wore a long blue skirt cinched at the waist with a belt, a pale pink shirt tucked into it, and a blue blazer over it, slightly unbuttoned. Black gloves covered her hands. Daniel was sure Jasper had already marked her as a target. She held a tablet high in one hand and a stylus in the other.

  “Daniel Hawk and Jasper…”

  “Jasper Lee,” Jasper stepped forward, cutting Daniel off.

  His last name really was Lee. Hard as it was to believe, Jasper had a Chinese grandfather who’d passed the name down through the generations. Whenever a pretty woman was around and he had to give his last name, he’d claim his granddad taught him every kind of karate—even “bedroom karate.” A dumb joke, but it worked.

  “Jasper Lee,” the redhead repeated, tapping something on her tablet.

  “Yep. And I know all kinds of karate. Even bedroom karate.” He winked, but she either didn’t get it or pretended not to hear. Jasper faltered.

  “Please follow me,” she said, turning gracefully.

  “What’s your name?” Jasper kept pushing, earning a kick from Daniel. He shot Daniel a disapproving look and threw his hands up in confusion.

  She didn’t answer. She walked ahead, cradling her tablet gently. A few times, she glanced side to side, the way women do when scanning for something interesting. Her hips were wide, her legs long—she was like a sculpture. Daniel glanced at Jasper, already knowing what he’d see. Jasper looked like a cartoon character drooling over the love of his life, as he always did.

  “Starting to like this place more and more, bro.”

  His eyes were wide, like he’d taken some drug, and his grin had morphed into a gaping mouth.

  She stepped onto the escalator, turning her head to check if they were following. Satisfied, she faced forward again. The ride was short—just a few seconds—and they were downstairs. A sign stood before them, marked with sectors and their corresponding floors. The redhead positioned herself beside it and turned to them, mostly looking at Daniel.

  “Mister,” she began, pointing at the sign with her stylus, “we’re on the first floor.”

  “Minus one?”

  “No, upstairs isn’t considered a floor,” she said, glancing at Jasper before returning to Daniel. “This is the first, and it goes down from here. Imagine you’re going up, but you’re descending.”

  They both nodded.

  “The tests are here,” she continued. “At the end of this corridor, there are lots of doors.” She pointed behind her. “There’ll likely be one or two people at most waiting in front of each. Clear?”

  “Yes. Where do we start?”

  “You start with the standard medical tests in Room 1. Then move to Room 2 for bloodwork. You wait for the results—they’ll be ready almost instantly—then go to Room 3 for the psych test.”

  “Together or…?”

  “No,” she almost shouted, then smiled and softened her tone. “One at a time.”

  “And if the tests are fine?”

  “If everything checks out, you go down to the second floor and wait with the others.”

  “Others?”

  “You didn’t think you were alone, did you, Mr. Daniel?”

  “No, but…”

  “There’s a huge hall on the second floor. You’ll find it easily.”

  “What’s there?”

  “Your final test.”

  “More tests?” Jasper was getting impatient. “It’s like they’re drafting us into the army. And you, miss, where’ll you be during all this? Can I test with you?”

  She ignored him again. She was one of the few women immune to his charm.

  “The final test on the second floor isn’t physical—it’s more mental. Not like the one coming up shortly.”

  “Meaning?”

  She smiled at both of them.

  “Any other questions?”

  “No.”

  “Have a good day, Mr. Hawk. And you, Mr. Lee.”