"How the hell can a piece of machinery look queer?"

"Well, he did," said Sofi indignantly. "He looked as if he was going to take me apart, too!"

Henry groaned. "Go on," he said resignedly.

"Why, then R-7 wanted to know if I was put together or if I came all in one piece." She bit her lip. "He started to find out."

She slipped off the oxygen suit. She was clad in comfortable baggy coveralls similar to Hen's.

"That rascal," Hen chuckled. Sofi grew pink with rage.

"Rascal!" she retorted witheringly. "Is that all you can say? One of those mechanical monstrosities dismantles the worm, then starts on me—and you think it's cute!"

"Well, it's damned queer they always react emotionally when you're around."

Sofi set her jaw, began to stride up the incline. She was a rangy girl with a long pantherish stride. Hen followed her, his brow furrowed.

When they came out on the sun deck of the two-storied half-sphere of clear plastic that was the living quarters, he began, "I'll take a look at the mining worm. I think I can get it reassembled all right." He frowned, cracked his bony knuckles. "The robots have been developing some unexpected quirks. I wouldn't be surprised, Sofi, if this tinkering with machinery isn't the expression of a sexual urge. The emergence of an instinct to perpetuate the species...."

"Sexual urge!" Sofi Jokai halted before Hen, shook her finger under his nose. "If I could sneak up behind R-7, he'd never make calf-eyes at another mining worm!"

But Hen wasn't listening. He fumbled in the pockets of his coveralls, resurrected a notebook, wrote: "Robots manifesting decided curiosity towards machinery. May be emergence of secondary sex characteristics." He frowned, added in bold script: "Have noted nascent antipathy towards organic life." Again he hesitated, then scrawled: "Shows signs of developing into active antagonism." He snapped the notebook shut, jammed it in his pocket.

"Where are you going," Sofi asked as he started for the door.

"Get my oxygen suit. I want a look at their mining worm."

"You'd better take a crowbar along to fend 

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