Robot Warriors Read Online Free PDF

“Super-Rover” into the keyboard. The desk-com replied with a tiny, blinking message that read PROJECT NOT FOUND.
    Cold horror crept over him. He punched the RELOAD PROJECT icon, but the computer just flashed up a single message:
    PROJECT DELETED.

Chapter 4
    Right on cue, Mordant Talliver came sidling over.
    “What’s wrong, John Riley? Having a bit of trouble with your computer, are you?”
    “Mind your own business,” John said, too angry to think of anything more clever.
    “How’s your design coming on?”
    This time, John didn’t say anything at all.
    Mordant shook his head. “Oops. Looks like you’ve wiped it. Clumsy. I expect you pressed the wrong icon.”
    “I don’t know why they let a primitive try to use one of these sophisticated desk-coms, master,” added G-Vez.
    “I’m surprised he didn’t try to worship it as a god,” smirked Mordant. “Too bad, human. Better luck in next year’s contest.”
    Mordant chuckled to himself as he walked away.
    You did this, John thought furiously. He was certain of it. Those long Gargon tentacles could easily have slithered under the desk-coms and fiddled with his console. John realized he had been an easy target for Mordant – too focused and out of his comfort zone to have time to think about protecting his work from the class bully.
    But no one had been standing nearby to see it. He had no proof. And even if he had, his work was still gone.
    There was only one person on the whole ship who could help him now – and it wasn’t even a person.
    “Zepp,” John said under his breath. “Can you hear me? I need your help!”
    “Affirmative,” said the computer, talking through the desk-com speaker. “I’m wired into every device on this ship!”
    “Can you restore a deleted file? My robot project’s been wiped!”
    “Let me see... this is not good. All the local data’s been deleted. I will assess my archives. I might be able to piece it back together.”
    “Please try!” John’s hands trembled with worry. All that work, ruined. And for nothing more than sheer spite.
    The seconds seemed like hours as John waited for Zepp to respond.
    “Good news, John Riley! The files are fragmented, but recoverable! Give me five minutes, and Super-Rover will be back with you!”
    “Zepp, you rock,”John said, sinking onto his desk in relief. “I seriously owe you one for this.”
    There was a tap on his shoulder. It was Kaal, looking worried.
    “What in the nine moons was that all about?” he asked, gesturing at Mordant’s back.
    “I can’t prove it,” John whispered, “but I’m pretty sure Mordant deleted my whole project. Zepp’s recovering the files, but it’s taking time. Time I haven’t got.”
    “He just can’t resist, can he?” Kaal glanced in disgust at the gloating boy, who was taking his robot, IFI, on another tour of the classroom. “If I were you, I’d report him to Master Tronic.”
    “For cheating?” John said. “That’s way worse than just copying. They might even expel him for that. You know what the Examiners are like.”
    “You know, they just might,” Kaal said with a dark look. “Wouldn’t that be a shame? Can’t you just picture the look on his face?”
    John thought about it. “I’ve got less than four hours left to build Super-Rover as it is,” he said. “I don’t want to waste any more time.”
    “They’d give you an extension. You know they would!”
    John knew Kaal was right. But if Mordant gets expelled, he thought, I won’t have a chance to show him up in the contest.
    “ It’s tempting,” he admitted. “But you know what would be even better? Beating him fair and square.”
    Just then, Zepp interrupted with a triumphant, tinny fanfare. “Good news! All project files successfully recovered!”
    “Better let you get to work, then,” Kaal said, smiling. “Cool-looking robot, by the way.”
    “Thanks!” John grinned. It was a huge relief to see Super-Rover’s schematics spread out in front of