“I don’t know,” she said, biting her lip. “It’s a wreck in here. Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
She set him down and the ball began to roll carefully through the debris. As she watched, the little robot made its way to a wall that was dominated by a large shelving unit, the bottom of which had two wooden panels. When Herman reached the unit, he stopped before the panels.
Jamie wandered closer, wondering what the little guy was up to. Suddenly and surprisingly, a small arm-like apparatus sprung from his circular surface. It reached out towards the panel, the thin end of it inserting itself between the wooden panels.
There was a little flash, and then the panel opened. Herman rolled into the entrance, and the panel shut behind him.
“What the heck?” Jamie crouched down, feeling along the panel, but was unable to find the little opening through which Herman had pushed his robot-arm.
Drake came to stand behind her, having finished his upload. “What’s going on?”
“Herman sprouted a little arm, stuck it into this panel somehow, and the panel opened. He rolled inside and it closed behind him.”
Drake squatted next to her. “He’s in there?”
Jamie nodded. “Yeah. Now, what do we do?”
Drake shrugged, then reached out to knock on the panel.
There was a delay, and then the panel opened and out rolled Herman, his lights blinking, his arm nowhere in sight.
“What were you doing?” Jamie asked the robot.
“Dr. Lakewood created a secret storage area for me. I am the most advanced robot of its kind. He worried that I might attract attention.”
“Makes sense,” Drake said.
Jamie knelt to poke her head into the panel. “What’s in here?”
“Spare parts. An extra battery. And a small communications array designed by Dr. Lakewood for emergencies.”
Drake put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back. “An array? Did you—?”
“I did attempt to contact Dr. Lakewood, but I received no reply.” The lights on the little robot blinked in a rapid progression, giving Jamie the impression of anxiety.
“What’s the range on the array?”
“Approximately 500 million kilometers.”
Drake’s eyes widened. “How does he receive the signal?”
“It works on the same chip as the GPS.” Herman let out a series of agitated bleeps.
Jamie looked back and forth between the alien and the robot. “Will you two speak English, please? What does that mean?”
Drake’s dark eyes narrowed. “It means Dr. Lakewood is not on Earth.”
