middle, smiling like a Cheshire cat.
Up turned his back and walked away.
Taz opened her door to find Up standing there, still
sopping wet and looking ready to kill someone. She stood
back to let him in, and he started pacing the room.
“What did they think of your idea-” she began, and then
jumped back as Up picked up her desk chair and threw it at
the wall. It broke in two.
“It’s too late, they did it, I should have been there-”
“They did it?” she said, watching him with alarm. “They
blew up Headquarters?”
He stopped moving and stood in the middle of her room,
looking suddenly lost. It was such an unusual expression
for him that she rushed over and took both of his hands in
hers. “And- and Tripp?”
“And everyone,” he said, his voice suddenly devoid of
emotion. “All dead. Dr. Claw has convinced the other
commanders that it’s time we started playing this game by
the robots’ rules. The Cazadora has been ordered into orbit
to protect Earth against the retaliation we’re certain to
receive. This war’s about to get dirty.”
“Ordered by who?”
“Ordered by him,” Up said. “Dr. Space-Claw. The
commanders have voted. He’s Acting Admiral until the
government can meet and give the matter proper
consideration.”
Taz didn’t know what to say.
“This is all my fault,” she said. “Pedro was right. I
shouldn’t have gone looking for the past. If I had stayed
put, you would have been at the meetings, and you could
have stopped them-”
“I don’t think I could have,” Up said, still looking
blankly at the wall behind her. “He’s got this way about him