A Crazy Case of Robots by Kenneth Oppel Read Free Book Online Page B

front.
    “I will now give a demonstration of Tinatron 1000’s abilities,” announced Tina grandly.
    She ordered the robot to balance on one of its metal legs, then to pick up eggs without breaking them. Sheasked the robot to multiply large numbers and write the answers in clear handwriting on a chalk board. Then Tina invited the audience to ask Tinatron anything it wished. The robot answered questions on astrophysics, ancient history, and biochemistry. It did not make a single mistake.
    “May I may have everyone’s attention, please!”
    Giles turned to look at the stage. Mr Lunardi, the school science teacher, was speaking into a microphone.
    “It is now time to announce this year’s science fair winner. The judges and I have seen some very impressive entries today, but there is one entry which we feel surpasses all others. I would like to ask Tina Quark to come to the stage and accept first prize!”
    “But what about me?” said Kevin. “I thought we were partners!”
    But Tina was already marching up to the front, the robot keeping pace at her side. Mr Lunardi looked a little taken aback as Tinatron expertly climbed the steps to the stage and extended its rubber-glove hand for the trophy. Mr Lunardi hesitated for a moment, and then handed it over. As Tina stood by, smiling faintly, the robot gently pushed Mr Lunardi away from the microphone.
    “This is a great honour,” said the robot. “Thank you very much indeed.”
    The gymnasium erupted into more applause. Cameras flashed.
    “Sometimes it makes you want to gag, doesn’t it?” said Kevin to Giles.

Chapter 3
It Can Stay
    Giles dabbed some model glue onto the edges of the two plastic pieces, and pressed them firmly together.
    From the ceiling of his bedroom hung an assortment of model airplanes. There were modern jet fighters and old fashioned biplanes, huge 747s and angular spaceships. Giles took great pride in his collection. He wasn’t one of those model builders who simply slapped them together, forcing parts, leaving globs of glue oozing between joints to harden. He took his time. He’d learned that patience was absolutely essential.
    Tina and Kevin might be geniuses, but he was a master model builder.
    Spread out across his desk right now was a bomberhe’d been saving up for for ages. It was the biggest model he’d ever built, and the most difficult, too.
    There was a knock at the front door.
    “Typical,” Giles groaned. He couldn’t just let go of the pieces now or they’d dry crooked.
    Another knock.
    His father, he knew, was out back in his workshop, going over the plans for home renovations. And his mother was in her study, with the door tightly shut, working on some huge math equation to torture her university students.
    He sighed. It would have to be him. He carefully put down the pieces and thumped downstairs.
    It was Kevin and Tina, both looking rather awkward. Behind them stood the robot.
    “I was in the middle of something,” Giles said a little testily.
    “Good afternoon, Barnes,” said Tina. “We seem to have a bit of a problem.”
    “You do?”
    Giles wondered what it could possibly be. Just this morning Tina had won first prize in the science fair,everyone had called her a genius, and her picture would undoubtedly be splashed all over the local newspapers tomorrow morning. She’d probably be invited to take part in the next space launch, and knighted by the Queen before the school year ended! What could the problem be?
    “Mom won’t have the robot in the house,” Kevin explained simply.
    “Why not?” Giles said.
    “She thinks it’s off-putting,” said Tina, rolling her eyes.
    “She thinks it’s inhuman,” said Kevin.
    “She thinks it’s unwholesome,” said Tina.
    “She thinks it’s a lot of things,” added Kevin in confidential tones, “but I won’t repeat them here. They’re kind of nasty.”
    “What we’re wondering, Barnes,” began Tina, avoiding his eyes, “is if you might possibly do us just a