​Arriving near the metal wall, Astro activated the sensors hidden in the tips of his fingers. He walked them along the dark and smooth wall. His internal computer immediately studied the magnetic and nuclear data.

The results didn't take long: titanium alloy in carbon, reinforced with nucleite.

"Needless to say that even with my lasers pushed to the maximum, it would take me days to make a pinhole..." Astro said.

The robot child studied the store in more detail. Looking well, he discovered that the building had the structure of a giant cage.

The people who had built had prepared their move well. Astro unleashed his X-vision to try to identify the surveillance cameras. The red light didn't help the task, but he ended up finding one.

"Hmm, hmm," he mused, "High definition sensory cameras. With these, you can't make a move without being noticed... "

Astro continued to examine.

“And where have the employees in clown masks disappeared to? I don't see them in the store...”

He came back to Zoran. She was cradling a toddler who looked at her with a big smile.

"You're doing well, little sister."

"Thank you. And you, what have you discovered?"

Astro sat next to her as naturally as possible and whispered in her ear:

"There's jammers everywhere, I couldn't contact Professor O'Shay. We'll have to fend for ourselves. And the building's shields are impossible to drill through. To top it all there's thirty-nine hidden cameras watching us, and nothing at this floor...”

"You don't have any good news, by chance?"

“Kinda.  This trap was designed to be impregnable, but mostly from outside. I'm sure that the opening controls are inside the store. The Lord of Darkness probably expected that he'd get attacks from outside, but not inside...”

"He sees you as a robot, not like a child..."

"We have the advantage of surprise, little sister, and maybe twice the chance, because that big bad doesn't know that you exist..."

Zoran gave a knowing wink to her brother.

A thump sounded against the shield windows. All children turned toward the sound. A second shot shook the whole building. Then a series of others hammered the alloy plates.

The voice of the Lord of Darkness ascended in the glowing shadows:

"My dear little ones, don't worry. It 's the military trying to force through your prison. They have no chance. They'll soon realize it!"

A blow more powerful than the other hit the walls of the store. The Lord of Darkness laughed.

"My children, I just forgot to tell you a little something. I warned the authorities that if they didn't give me satisfaction within an hour I'll have to take one of you to me, chosen at random..."

A rumor went up from the crowd of children.

"He doesn't have a moment to lose," Astro said with a determined air. "I have to find a way to get us all out of here."

Sneaking among the hostages, Astro left to inspect the area in more detail. His efforts were soon rewarded. Behind a stack of remote controlled flying cars, he spotted a flash of light, which disappeared immediately. He walked on as if nothing had happened and saw that the wall hid a secret door. It was the light behind it that had signalled a meeting.

"I may have found the den of the clown masks,” he thought. “First, I'll keep them from coming back. "

Without a word, Astro used the mini laser powered through his index finger to weld the secret door and permanently close it. The operation took him only a few minutes, but it already consumed a lot of time. The countdown had begun. Continuing his research, he discovered other doors, he soldered them the same way.

"Lord of Darkness henchmen will have a hard time coming back, now!" he thought with a triumphant smile.

But soon, time passed, and Astro feared what the monster could do to his fellow prisoners.

"I have absolutely discover where the store's hidden control centre is. The Lord of Darkness is bound to be there, and he shouldn't be far away...but how? Ah, I have an idea!"

He returned to see Zoran and said:

"I have a plan, but to succeed, I need you. Listen carefully. We can open the doors of this trap if we find the centre that controls them. I made sure the employees in clown mask can't intervene. So we just need to irritate the Lord of Darkness enough so he reveal himself. I bet he's hidden pretty close to the opening controls..."

Surprised and a little worried, Zoran exclaimed:

"You wanna provoke the Lord of Darkness?"

"That's it. The push to react. You know, the best defense is often an attack... "

“I can help you?”

"You can run fast, faster than anyone?"

"I think so."

"Well, that's what you'll do over there..."