Cultwick: The Sweeper Bot Plague Read Online Free Page A

fix my glove when it breaks, now?” Rowland went on.
    “She’s not gone yet, sir,” Germ reminded him.
    Rowland abruptly stood from his chair and snatched the card from Germ’s hand. The professor balanced himself, placing one hand on Tern’s shoulder and dropping down to eye-level with the card slot in its chest. Carefully, he slid the card inside and, standing back up, reached to the automaton’s back and pulled his lever. Tern made a series of beeping sounds, before his frame slunk down and his head tilted forward. Rowland and Germ took a step back.
    “Did she make an error, sir?” Germ asked.
    Before Rowland could answer, Tern stood straight up once again and said, “Objective... Processing... Processing... Objective... Release Debugger from Government Control... Processing... Resources... Processing... One Semi-Autonomous Unit Programmed for Debugger’s Retrieval - Relentless - Versatile... Processing... One Blueprint of the Center for Empirical Research - Necessary... Processing... Debugger’s Rifle and Pistol - Custom - Lethal... Processing... Probability of Successful Retrieval: 12.782%.”
    “She does not often make errors, Germ,” Rowland finally replied. “But her plan will not work like this.” He turned his attention to the robot, “Tern, include Germ and I in your resource list and recalculate probability.”
    “Updating Resources... Genetically Engineered Rat Man... AKA Germ - Small - Quick - Loyal... Processing... Professor Maxwell Rowland - Brilliant - Augmented - Arrogant - Motivated... Processing... Recalculating Probability of Successful Retrieval: 46.583%.”
    “Small?” Germ muttered to himself.
    “We have to help rescue her, Germ,” Rowland stated flatly.
    “She asked you not to, sir,” the rat replied. “Madam Clover wouldn’t want you to put yourself in harm’s way.”
    “Bunk to that nonsense, Germ,” he responded. “We are doing this. She was like a daughter to me.”
    Smiling, Germ replied, “Yes, sir.”
    “Tern,” the professor continued, “what is the plan?”
    “Processing... Plan with Highest Probability of Success: Attack Two Corpsmen in the Cultwick Corps... Retrieve Equipment from Corpses... Impersonate Corpsmen... Take Professor Rowland into Center for Empirical Research as an Unwilling Lottery Winner... Find Debugger... Free Debugger... Free Other Prisoners to Serve as Distraction... Escape Through Sewer Tunnels... Never Return to Cultwick City.”
    “Never... return?” asked Germ.
    Rowland stared through a window at the dark contours of the city against the moonlight of the night. “Ryn deserves better than this horrid place. We are going to see to it that she gets it. Germ, go to the lab to retrieve Ryn’s rifle and pistol. She will need those where we are going. I will pack up some things here with Tern. Come back here and we will start toward the center.”
    Hesitating briefly, Germ headed back outside. Walking to the door, Rowland saw the rat drop to all fours some way out and begin running.
    “Tern, ” he began, “you retrieve some of Ryn’s clothes and other things she will need. I will ready myself and arrange Germ’s things.
    Tern headed down to Erynn’s room and began making something of a racket, and Rowland hoped that was a good sign. He headed up toward his chamber, stopping in a hall closet to collect a large wheeled suitcase. He dragged it into his room, grabbing a few changes of clothes, a series of strange looking and worse smelling bottles of liquid, and a small closed box containing various lab equipment.
    Next, he went down the hall to Germ’s quarters, further filling up the suitcase with clothes he had seen the rat frequently wear. Sitting on a nightstand near the bed laid a leather bound book. Rowland recognized it as Germ’s journal and collected it as well. Stopping to think what his friend couldn’t live without, Rowland also grabbed a dustpan and stunted broom assuming those were his favorite items, as he was so