Ketty's Subdivision (ePub)

In a genetically perfect society, Ketty Mc'kee is a not so perfect young woman who herds robots for a living. Like prospective hunting dogs, these bots come off the assembly line fully functional, but it takes at least a year of training to equip them for bragging rights. Instilling citizenship and competent field performance as well as building personality is an arduous process. For Ketty, training bots is a refuge from the realities of life, where the popular kids like Kato never tire of making her life miserable. But a person like Kato doesn't go out in the morning and say, "Hey, I think I'll be a jerk today." Like a well worn shoe, he goes back to what feels comfortable, so it's ironic that he is secretly attracted to the one girl people think he hates.

Rayleen is her closest friend who appears to have everything life has to offer, but under the surface, society still turns a blind eye towards the destruction of innocence, which is one reason Ketty is drawn to her. It may be a savior complex but Ketty knows Rayleen has a destiny to fulfill, and she is determined to love Rayleen despite her past.

In reality, Ketty only has one true love, and he is just a screwed up bot who will never graduate. Boondock is unique in form and function, perfect in Ketty's eyes, but he still belongs to the controlling Firm who has issued a recall to reclaim all their property in the face of an uncertain future. When her parents die at the hands of marauding aliens, Ketty takes a rag tag band of survivors and the sugar jacked Boondock on a journey to save humanity and herself in the process.

The Gort are massive three hundred fifty pound hunters with keen situational awareness. Through sanctions and social pressure, they have submitted to genetic alterations making them suitable for inclusion into a galactic society. But the effort to curb their appetite for hunting sentient life forms has fallen short. In their zeal to create the perfect prey, the Gort inadvertently released the Baird aliens who rapidly outsmarted their creators and escaped to forge their own destiny.

Now humans and Gort alike are subjected to the ruthless tactics of the Baird who are perfect hunting machines. Ketty must take control of her band of survivors and try to reach the city where they might find answers to what is happening. The mysterious Belletine, a strange young woman who seems friendly on the surface, but has her own hidden agenda, has Ketty second guessing her own strength as a leader. Then there is Scott, who should be shot on sight for what he has done to Rayleen. But Ketty knows there is potential in every human, and she refuses to be swayed by the strong emotions of her group. The optimistic Rayjack is one of several bots who provides assistance as they begin the treacherous journey to the city.

Meanwhile, the military, the Firm, and the rest of the Subdivision try to come to terms with a war that really has no front, fighting an enemy with no clear motive. When Ketty finally does confront Harazel, the leader of the Baird, a fierce and bloody battle ensues which reveals her bots are evolving at an alarming rate. Through it all, Boondock remains oblivious to the danger around him. His only concern is for Ketty's safety, but he finds himself paralyzed to help despite the stringent guidelines of his programming. In the end, relinquishing control of Boondock, and choosing her friends over robots might be the only solution to reconcile her past with what the future has in store for humanity.