Roxie vs Trench

  The door to the stairs opened, and a huge robot ducked through. It was humanoid in form but thick, blocky, and armored like a tank. The robot clutched an enormous gun in each hand. “What is going on here?” its booming voice accused.

  “Settle down,” Roxie said. “Drop your weapons.”

  The enormous guns clattered to the floor.

  “How did you—” the big robot spluttered.

  “Enough!” Roxie demanded. “Do you have any idea how tired I am of your blustering? Lose the costume.”

  The robot dropped to its knees, and the chest opened up to reveal a man inside. The startled occupant was stout, dressed in red silk pajamas, and looked to be in his sixties. His gray hair was slicked back and tied in a knot.

  “How are you doing this?” Abram asked, his expression worried.
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  “What?” Roxie asked innocently. “How’d I crack open your little body armor? You’re the Grand Shaper of Zeropolis. You tell me.”

  He tapped at some buttons. “You’ve obviously infected my hardware. But how?”

  “Maybe I’ve been able to do this for a long time, Trench,” Roxie said.

Chapter 34