A Crazy Case of Robots Read Free

nine-volt battery!”
    While all this was going on, Tinatron had meandered over to the coffee table and was peering intently at the textbook Mrs Barnes had brought into the room with her.
    “The Quintilliax equations are unusually complex,” the robot said. “Only those of advanced intelligence are able to solve their many intricacies.”
    Tina beamed like a proud mother whose baby has just burbled its first words. Mrs Barnes’s mouth fell open slightly. Then a smile broke out across her face.
    “It can stay,” she said.
    “What is that?” asked the robot, pointing at the jumble of plastic pieces on Giles’s desk.
    “It’s a model airplane kit,” he explained. “You glue it together. This is going to be the best one yet. It’s going to be perfect.”
    “Those two pieces are crooked,” said the robot.
    “Yes, well,” said Giles, slightly flustered, “I was in a hurry to open the door.”
    Tinatron stood in the centre of his room, swivelling its head around to take everything in. Giles felt a bit at a loss. Robot-sitting! What was he supposed to do with it? Was he supposed to talk to it? Play with it? Somehow he couldn’t see this robot rolling dice and plunking a plastic counter around a board. This was a very serious robot.
    It had been almost impossible to get Tina to leave. She’d fussed over the robot as if she were sending it away for two years instead of a few days! She’d reminded him of all the proper procedures three or four times, until Kevin had gently but firmly guided her out of the room and out the front door.
    “Your drawers are not properly closed,” announced Tinatron gravely.
    “Yeah, well.” Giles slammed shut a few drawers.
    “There is an accumulation of dust on your shelves.”
    “It’s always like that!”
    “That poster is drooping slightly in the upper right corner.”
    “So what?”
    “It is not perfect.”
    Giles just looked at the robot.
    “Look, you’ve had a long day,” he said, “why don’t you get some sleep?”
    “Sleep?” said the robot.
    “Oh, right. Should I plug you in, then?”
    “My battery does not yet require recharging.”
    “Well,” said Giles, “I’ve got to do some homework for tomorrow.”
    “I will do it,” said Tinatron immediately.
    “No thanks,” said Giles. “Besides, it’s got to be in my own handwriting, or they’ll think I cheated.”
    “I can copy any style of handwriting,” the robot replied. “I am programmed not to make a single mistake.”
    Giles looked thoughtfully at his model kit. If Tinatron did all his homework, he’d have more time to work on the bomber. It was awfully tempting. And why not? If he had to look after this robot for a few days, why shouldn’t he get something out of it! He could hand in flawless homework, too, just like Tina! He could hardly wait to see the look on her face when his scores were called out!
    “All right,” he told Tinatron. “I’ll get the books for you.”
    Maybe, he thought, this robot-sitting wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Chapter 4
Pure Genius
    “How’s Tinatron?” Tina asked Giles the next morning at school.
    “Fine, I guess,” Giles replied. It was only a machine, how could you describe how it was?
    “Not overheating?” Tina inquired.
    “I don’t think so, no.”
    “You plugged it in last night, according to my instructions?”
    “I did, and all the lights flickered, and a deep humming sound came from Tinatron’s chest. It was a little freaky.”
    “That’s the high voltage battery!” said Tina grandly. “It’s a beautiful creation, don’t you think, Barnes?”
    A dreamy look had come into her eyes, and Giles looked at Kevin and winked. Tina could get a little carried away sometimes.
    “Did you know,” she said, “that the word robot comes from the Czech word robota ?”
    “I can’t even spell ‘Czech’,” commented Kevin.
    “Ah! If they could only see now what I’ve done with that little word of theirs,” said Tina. “I’ve made it come