Robot Warriors by Zac Harrison Page A

cumbersome as a lead weight in his hands. He thumbed the tail control, but the tail just wouldn’t stop wagging. There must be a short circuit , John thought in desperation. The tail wagged faster and faster. Any second now and it would swish into the tunnel wall.
    There was only one way to get Super-Rover out of there before that happened. In desperation, John hit the rocket booster.

Chapter 7
    Super-Rover shot out of the tunnel like a cannonball and tumbled head over heels across the hangar floor. He came to rest at John’s feet, sat on his haunches, and looked up. His tail still wagged madly.
    “Good boy,” John said, too amazed to think straight.
    No siren. No buzz. The tunnel hadn’t vanished. Does that mean...
    “Congratulations, John Riley,” boomed Master Tronic. “You are through to the next round. A pity there are no bonus points for a dramatic finish.”
    Instantly, Kaal and Emmie were at John’s side.
    “You did it!” Emmie said, slapping him on the back. “That was fantastic!”
    Relief flooded over John. He looked down at his hands, which were still shaking.
    “Are you sure you’ve never done this before?” Kaal asked suspiciously.
    “First time. Honest!” John noticed that the grin on Kaal’s face was wavering. His friend didn’t see him as competition, did he? But then Kaal held up his hand for a high five, and John, feeling silly for worrying, smacked his palm. Emmie did the same.
    “Why are you hitting each other?” Dol asked, her beady little eyes wide with horror.
    “It’s an Earth victory custom,” Emmie explained. “When your friends score an ‘epic win’, you bash hands together. It’s fun.”
    Dol bubbled with laughter and slapped her own flipper against Emmie’s outstretched hand. “My people usually just whistle,” she said modestly.
    John smiled to see Emmie happy again. She looked like she’d forgotten all about her own failure and instead just wanted to congratulate John and Kaal. Warmth seemed to shine from her.
    His victory was starting to sink in. He’d done it. He’d really done it.
    Right now , John thought, I wouldn’t change places with anyone in the universe. This was a perfect moment, and nothing could ruin it.
    Behind him, he could hear other students cheering and congratulating one another. Without thinking, he turned around to join in.
    “High five!” he yelled, slapping the tentacle that came up to meet his. “It’s an Earth victory... custom...”
    Mordant Talliver was standing there, smirking.
    “That’s really sporting of you, Earth boy,” he said. “Nice of you to recognize your betters. So that’s a high five, is it?”
    “So-called because Earthlings have five digits on each hand, master,” G-Vez butted in.
    “How quaint. Maybe you can give me another of those high fives when I win the contest.”
    Not if I can help it, you slippery half-Gargon git, John thought to himself.
    * * *
    “Victory feast!” John said, sitting down in the Centre.
    The table was spread with food, organized into three neat sections. His own had a stack of cheese toasties, a huge bowl of corn chips, some bowls of what he hoped were dip, and some crusty sausage rolls.
    “Bit early for that, isn’t it?” Kaal said. “I know we’ve both done well so far, but still...”
    “Victory lunch break, then,” Emmie said, tucking in. “Gotta say, though. If you two keep this up, I won’t know who to cheer for! After all, you can’t both win.”
    They all laughed.
    “What is that stuff?” John had to ask, pointing at Kaal’s own collection of little bowls. They looked worryingly similar to John’s own dips, and he didn’t want to mix them up.
    “Acheron wasp eggs, mashed scab-root, and Jengeroon spit. Want some?”
    John silently moved his bowls of dip further away from Kaal’s. “I’ll pass.”
    The next round was back in the main auditorium. This time, John made sure the three of them went in together, with plenty of time to spare. He sat between