The Robot King Read Free

humming noise. Instead of roads and footpaths, Arboria had moving walkways everywhere.
    â€˜Robots find it easier to get around this way,’ said Pappy.
    Kip noticed Arboria was dusty and completely flat, almost as if any hills had been bulldozed flat. He guessed that bumps would only trip up the robots.
    Kip and Finbar stepped onto the moving walkway outside the docking station.
    The walkway sped through the streets of Arboria. Everywhere, Kip saw robots whizzing past on moving walkways. None of the robots had spotted Kip and Finbar yet. Their heads hung low, as though they were all in bad moods.
    Box-shaped concrete houses lined the moving walkways. Out the front, each robot house had a pole with a purple bolt of electricity shooting out of it.
    â€˜That’s where the robots recharge,’ said Pappy proudly.
    Kip also noticed moving 3D posters that advertised the same films and TV shows over and over.
    Don't miss this!
GAME SHOWS
REPEATED ALL DAY EVERY DAY
CHANNEL 1087
    See Tonight!
POLICE SQUAD
SCREENING FOR
THE 501,347th TIME!
    Boring! Kip thought. Why aren’t there any NEW movies or shows?
    A robot on a moving walkway lifted its head to look at a nearby poster. The face on its screen looked about Kip’s age. It had a sad, bored look on its face.
    But then the robot kid saw Finbar and Kip. It swivelled its head in amazement.
    â€˜Know any new jokes?’ yelled the kid robot.
    Kip was surprised. It seems like no-one ever visits this place, he thought. And the first thing this kid robot wants to know is a joke?
    The only joke Kip could think of was a lame one his dad told him. ‘What’s brown and sticky?’ he asked.
    The kid robot said nothing, but he looked excited.
    â€˜A stick,’ said Kip.
    â€˜Haven’t heard that one!’ said the robot. It made a grinding sound, like gears in reverse. It was cracking up laughing!
    â€˜Lucky robots can’t wet themselves,’ whispered Kip to Finbar. ‘That guy would short-circuit.’
    But Finbar didn’t answer. His ears were pricking up. ‘My wolf senses tell me it’s about to rain,’ he said slowly.
    â€˜If it rains here, there’s definitely water!’ Kip replied, excited. So far, Arboria didn’t look like a great place for humans to live. But if there was water, there might still be hope.
    I might have discovered Earth 2! he thought. I could win the Shield of Honour.
    Then everyone would know that the youngest Space Scout was also the best.

CHAPTER 5
    Kip was glad it was about to rain. But he didn’t want to get soaking wet.
    When he saw a fat raindrop heading right for him, he ducked out of the way.
    The raindrop fell onto the moving walkway. But instead of making a splash, the raindrop sizzled when it fell.
    â€˜Does it rain boiling water here?’ Kip asked Pappy.
    â€˜Why do you say that?’ said Pappy, robotic eyes darting.
    He’s hiding something , Kip thought.
    Kip glanced back at the spot where the raindrop fell. There was smoke rising from it.
    â€˜That was no ordinary raindrop,’ Kip whispered to Finbar.
    â€˜Enough talking about rain,’ Pappy interrupted, hurrying along the moving walkway. ‘We’ve arrived at my house.’ Pappy sounded very relieved.
    Kip, Finbar and Pappy stepped off the walkway outside a pair of fancy gates.
    Pappy’s house was gigantic mansion.
    Unlike the other houses, there was a lawn with leafy trees out the front.
    When Kip got close, though, he saw they were all fake. Kip was pretty sure the word ‘Arboria’ had something to do with trees, but there weren’t any on this planet.
    Weird, he thought.
    Pappy’s front door swung open. Standing in the doorway was a robot with a distinguished old man’s face on its screen. The robot had a tray balanced on its hand like a butler.
    â€˜Drink, your majesty?’ said the robot, bowing.
    Pappy must be the king of this place! Kip thought. Odd that