Robot Trouble Read Online Free PDF Page A

from dune buggies to the main computer itself. What’s more, he was almost always willing to talk to them, despite the fiercely protective nature of his secretary, Bridget McGrory. To top it off, Dr. Hwa had a great deal of personal charm; he was the kind of man other people just naturally wanted to be with.
    Now, however, his voice sounded not only angry but bone-weary. It was clear that the strain of managing Project Alpha was getting to him. Considering the recent security violations he had had to deal with, that was hardly a surprise. Roger hoped it wouldn’t end up breaking the man.
    â€œSorry, Dr. Hwa,” panted Brody, crawling from the midst of the ball bearings on his hands and knees. His face was beet red, though whether from anger or exertion was hard to tell.
    â€œGet me outta here!” bellowed the Gamma Ray. “Now!”
    The robot clutching him continued to roll in circles.
    Brody lumbered to his feet and pulled a black object the size of a deck of cards from his pocket. He punched a button.
    The robot started to move faster.
    â€œStop this thing!” screamed Ray.
    Brody stared at the remote control and scratched his head. Finally he pushed another button. The robot stopped rolling. At the touch of a third button, it spread its mechanical arms and dumped the Gamma Ray unceremoniously to the floor.
    Brody chuckled maliciously.
    Hap went over and helped the smaller boy to his feet.
    â€œWould somebody care to tell me just what is going on here?” asked Dr. Hwa, his voice crisp with anger. Six voices began speaking at the same time. “Stop!” cried Dr. Hwa, clutching his head. “One at a time!” Looking around, he made a quick decision. “Roger, you seem to be the spokesperson for your group. We’ll start with you.”
    Roger licked his lips nervously and began rubbing his thumb and forefinger together, a sure sign that his brain was moving into high gear. “Well, it was like this, Dr. Hwa,” he said slowly. “We were working on a little gadget—”
    â€œWhat kind of gadget?” asked Brody.
    Roger shrugged. “Just something to help us with our programming. Actually, my sister dreamed it up.” When Brody nodded in satisfaction Roger had to hide his smile. He had added the bit about Rachel because he knew Brody was so blindly convinced of male superiority he would automatically dismiss anything thought up by a female.
    â€œAnyway, we had almost finished making it when we realized we were missing an important part—”
    â€œWhat kind of part?” demanded Brody.
    Roger cast a long-suffering look at Dr. Hwa.
    â€œSergeant, let the young man tell the story in his own way,” said the scientist, sounding for all the world like a weary judge reprimanding an overzealous lawyer.
    Brody scowled, but held his tongue.
    Dr. Hwa nodded to Roger to continue.
    â€œSince we needed this part before we could do anything else, Trip and Ray volunteered to go out on a scrounge. We knew there were all kinds of spare parts left in this warehouse when the Air Force pulled out, so it seemed a logical place to start.”
    â€œThis is government property!” sputtered Brody.
    â€œIt’s been abandoned,” said Roger coolly.
    He put out a hand to steady the Wonderchild, who seemed on the verge of exploding with exasperation. “As I was trying to explain,” he continued, casting a significant look at Brody, “the guys came here to look for the part. Next thing we knew, we had a message asking for help, so Wendy and I came on the double. When we got here, we found our friends had been attacked by one of Brody’s men and this robot goon. That’s all I know. But I sure would be interested in finding out why that robot is here.” He paused, then added, “I bet our parents would, too.”
    Dr. Hwa looked unhappy at this comment. The last thing he wanted was to antagonize any of his key researchers.