The robot olympics, p.10
The Robot Olympics, page 10
The robot’s basketball programming kicked in immediately. He rushed across the stage to block MechaCrawler from going any farther. Dr. VanderMeer and the other committee members backed away in confusion—especially after jagged spikes suddenly protruded from the spider-bot’s multiple limbs!
Persis must have added the concealed spikes sometime after the judge’s inspection. No wonder MechaCrawler had performed so poorly in the competitions! It had been designed for a completely different purpose. For a second, I wondered if Persis had picked the spider-design just to amp up the fear factor.
Probably. Who knows? The spikes might have even been tipped with poison.
The spider-bot lunged at Dr. VanderMeer, but SwiftBot jumped between them. The lethal spikes scraped against my robot’s silver casing. Every slash struck sparks off SwiftBot’s carbon-fiber shell. The clashing metal sounded like a car crash.
Meanwhile, I was sprinting across the floor of the gym, waving my arms to attract everyone’s attention. “Run for it!” I yelled at the people on the stage. “That bug’s a killer!”
To my surprise, FugBot panicked and shoved Andy aside as the ebony robot bolted from his place in line. He jumped from the stage and ran away from MechaCrawler as fast as his plastic legs could carry him. “Hey, wait for me!” Andy yelled as he chased after his robot. “We’ve gotta get out of here!”
By now even the audience was lunging from their seats and running for the exits. In the chaos, I glimpsed Persis trying to slip away unnoticed.
Up on the stage, SwiftBot kept playing defense against MechaCrawler. He extended his arms and elbows out to the sides, blocking the spider-bot every chance he got. I was relieved to see Theodora VanderMeer, Mayor Klyde, and the others climb down off the stage behind SwiftBot. Yo and Sue scurried around to join me on the floor, right below the edge of the dais.
“Tom!” Yo exclaimed. “Where have you been? And what’s all this craziness about?”
“Yeah!” Sue said. “When did the Robo Olympics turn into BattleBots?”
“I’ll explain later!” I promised. “Right now we’ve got to stop MechaCrawler before it kills someone!”
Sparks flew as the two robots fought on the stage above us. An idea hit me.
“SwiftBot! Execute lift routine!”
Our robot instantly went into weight lifting mode. He grabbed onto MechaCrawler’s central thorax and hoisted the killer robot high above his head. The spider-bot’s deadly limbs thrashed violently as it tried to break free from SwiftBot’s grip. I wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold MechaCrawler aloft.
“Get ready!” I warned Sue.
She guessed what I had in mind. “Anytime, dude!”
SwiftBot’s arms quivered from the weight of the mechanical spider. MechaCrawler slipped from his fingers and hit the stage hard, landing flat on its back. Its legs flailed helplessly for a moment, then moved to right itself.
“Go, RollerBot!” Sue shouted. “Demolition derby!”
The tanklike robot came to life and ran MechaCrawler over. Her heavy treads crushed the other robot beneath them. The vicious spikes snapped off like they were made out of glass.
“Solid rubber tires,” Sue bragged. “One hundred percent puncture-proof!”
RollerBot drove down off her victim, leaving a mass of crumpled metal behind. Air leaked from dozens of ruptured pneumatic cylinders. MechaCrawler sparked and jerked for a second or two before finally breaking down for good. The venomous robot spider looked like a squashed bug. Oil and hydraulic fluid leaked over the stage.
“Eeww!” Yo said, making a face. “I am not cleaning that up!”
“Who cares?” Sue said. “We beat that crazy creepy-crawly. Robot teamwork rules!”
And nobody got hurt. That was the important thing.
But what about Persis? Had she gotten away? I climbed up onto the stage and searched the crowds pouring out through the exits. The security crew was trying to keep the evacuation under control, but it was still pretty much a zoo. It wouldn’t be hard for Persis to sneak away in the confusion.
Or maybe she already had.
Wait! There she was! Just as I was about to give up, I spotted Persis among the crowd. She was only a few yards away from the exit. A few more moments and she would have made her escape.
“Stop!” I shouted, pointing at the would-be terrorist. “Don’t let that girl get away! She’s responsible for all of this!”
My yelling attracted some confused looks, but nobody, not even the guards, seemed to catch what I was saying. There was too much else going on. Persis smirked at me as she stepped toward the door … and ran right into Luke McCabe.
The FBI agent was panting and out of breath, but that didn’t stop him from taking Persis into custody. He flashed his badge at the guards and promptly dragged her away in handcuffs.
Too bad she was such a nutcase. She could have been an awesome inventor.
Bud came running up to us, clutching his notepad and pencil. “Spill, dude! What’s the scoop on all the wild robot-versus-robot action?”
“It’s a long, twisted story,” I said, “but I can tell you what tonight’s big headline is going to be: ROBOTS SAVE FAMOUS SCIENTIST FROM TERRORIST PLOT!”
Not exactly what TRB had in mind …
“Whoa! Get a load of this!” Yo exclaimed.
Now what?
“I don’t believe it,” Sue said.
Turning around, I saw Mr. Radnor and a pair of guards escorting Andy and FugBot away from the exits. Andy looked annoyed and embarrassed, but that wasn’t the weird part. Jay Robertson’s head was sitting atop FugBot’s shoulders, while Mr. Radnor held on to what appeared to be FugBot’s skull-like head.
I blinked in confusion before I realized what I was seeing: a man in a robot suit.
“Look what we found,” Mr. Radnor said. “These guards tried to stop Andy’s robot from running away—only to find out he wasn’t really a robot at all!”
So that’s why FugBot had such humanlike reflexes and abilities. He was really a genuine Olympic athlete in disguise. Andy must have presented a genuine robot to the inspectors at the beginning of the games, then pulled a switcheroo later. I was willing to bet Yo a year’s worth of pizzas that you’d find another version of FugBot resting in Andy’s trailer right now.
“You’ve hit a new low, Foger,” Yo said. “Even for you.”
Bud was madly scribbling notes. “Dang, this story just keeps getting better and better!”
Andy glowered back at us. “You’re just jealous ’cause you didn’t think of it first,” he said sullenly.
“Yeah, right!” Sue said sarcastically. “Maybe on Planet Foger.”
Compared to Persis’s murderous scheme, Andy’s scam was a stupid stunt, but it still made me want to punch him in the jaw. Persis at least had the excuse that she was a homicidal fanatic. Andy was just a jerk.
“I can’t speak for the committee,” Mr. Radnor said, “but I think this almost certainly disqualifies FugBot … which changes the rankings somewhat. You know what that means?”
“SwiftBot takes first place!” Yo exclaimed. A stunned expression came over her face. “Tom, we won the grand prize after all!”
“I guess so!” I shook my head in disbelief. “How awesome is that?”
“With RollerBot coming in second,” Mr. Radnor added. “As soon as the judges can make it official.”
“What else can they do?” Sue reached out and shook my hand, then Yo’s. “Let me be the first to congratulate you on your glorious victory.” She gave us a crafty smile. “And just wait until next year!”
“You’re on!” I told her. “I can hardly wait.”
They’ve got motorcycles, their cases are ripped from the headlinesand they work for ATAC:American Teens Against Crime.
CRIMINALS, BEWARE:THE HARDY BOYS ARE ON YOUR TRAIL!
Frank and Joe are telling all-new stories of crime, danger, death-defying stunts, mystery, and teamwork.
Ready? Set? Fire it up!
Bobby Pendragon is a seemingly normal fourteen-year-old boy. He has a family, a home, and a possible new girlfriend. But something happens to Bobby that changes his life forever.
HE IS CHOSEN TO DETERMINE THE COURSE OF HUMAN EXISTENCE.
Pulled away from the comfort of his family and suburban home, Bobby is launched into the middle of an immense, interdimensional conflict involving racial tensions, threatened ecosystems, and more. It’s a journey of danger and discovery for Bobby, and his success or failure will do nothing less than determine the fate of the world….
PENDRAGON
by D. J. MacHale
Book One: The Merchant of Death
Book Two: The Lost City of Faar
Book Three: The Never War
Book Four: The Reality Bug
Book Five: Black Water
Coming Soon: Book Six: The Rivers of Zadaa
From Aladdin Paperbacks · Published by Simon & Schuster
Victor Appleton, The Robot Olympics
Thank you for reading books on Archive.BookFrom.Net
Share this book with friends
Persis must have added the concealed spikes sometime after the judge’s inspection. No wonder MechaCrawler had performed so poorly in the competitions! It had been designed for a completely different purpose. For a second, I wondered if Persis had picked the spider-design just to amp up the fear factor.
Probably. Who knows? The spikes might have even been tipped with poison.
The spider-bot lunged at Dr. VanderMeer, but SwiftBot jumped between them. The lethal spikes scraped against my robot’s silver casing. Every slash struck sparks off SwiftBot’s carbon-fiber shell. The clashing metal sounded like a car crash.
Meanwhile, I was sprinting across the floor of the gym, waving my arms to attract everyone’s attention. “Run for it!” I yelled at the people on the stage. “That bug’s a killer!”
To my surprise, FugBot panicked and shoved Andy aside as the ebony robot bolted from his place in line. He jumped from the stage and ran away from MechaCrawler as fast as his plastic legs could carry him. “Hey, wait for me!” Andy yelled as he chased after his robot. “We’ve gotta get out of here!”
By now even the audience was lunging from their seats and running for the exits. In the chaos, I glimpsed Persis trying to slip away unnoticed.
Up on the stage, SwiftBot kept playing defense against MechaCrawler. He extended his arms and elbows out to the sides, blocking the spider-bot every chance he got. I was relieved to see Theodora VanderMeer, Mayor Klyde, and the others climb down off the stage behind SwiftBot. Yo and Sue scurried around to join me on the floor, right below the edge of the dais.
“Tom!” Yo exclaimed. “Where have you been? And what’s all this craziness about?”
“Yeah!” Sue said. “When did the Robo Olympics turn into BattleBots?”
“I’ll explain later!” I promised. “Right now we’ve got to stop MechaCrawler before it kills someone!”
Sparks flew as the two robots fought on the stage above us. An idea hit me.
“SwiftBot! Execute lift routine!”
Our robot instantly went into weight lifting mode. He grabbed onto MechaCrawler’s central thorax and hoisted the killer robot high above his head. The spider-bot’s deadly limbs thrashed violently as it tried to break free from SwiftBot’s grip. I wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold MechaCrawler aloft.
“Get ready!” I warned Sue.
She guessed what I had in mind. “Anytime, dude!”
SwiftBot’s arms quivered from the weight of the mechanical spider. MechaCrawler slipped from his fingers and hit the stage hard, landing flat on its back. Its legs flailed helplessly for a moment, then moved to right itself.
“Go, RollerBot!” Sue shouted. “Demolition derby!”
The tanklike robot came to life and ran MechaCrawler over. Her heavy treads crushed the other robot beneath them. The vicious spikes snapped off like they were made out of glass.
“Solid rubber tires,” Sue bragged. “One hundred percent puncture-proof!”
RollerBot drove down off her victim, leaving a mass of crumpled metal behind. Air leaked from dozens of ruptured pneumatic cylinders. MechaCrawler sparked and jerked for a second or two before finally breaking down for good. The venomous robot spider looked like a squashed bug. Oil and hydraulic fluid leaked over the stage.
“Eeww!” Yo said, making a face. “I am not cleaning that up!”
“Who cares?” Sue said. “We beat that crazy creepy-crawly. Robot teamwork rules!”
And nobody got hurt. That was the important thing.
But what about Persis? Had she gotten away? I climbed up onto the stage and searched the crowds pouring out through the exits. The security crew was trying to keep the evacuation under control, but it was still pretty much a zoo. It wouldn’t be hard for Persis to sneak away in the confusion.
Or maybe she already had.
Wait! There she was! Just as I was about to give up, I spotted Persis among the crowd. She was only a few yards away from the exit. A few more moments and she would have made her escape.
“Stop!” I shouted, pointing at the would-be terrorist. “Don’t let that girl get away! She’s responsible for all of this!”
My yelling attracted some confused looks, but nobody, not even the guards, seemed to catch what I was saying. There was too much else going on. Persis smirked at me as she stepped toward the door … and ran right into Luke McCabe.
The FBI agent was panting and out of breath, but that didn’t stop him from taking Persis into custody. He flashed his badge at the guards and promptly dragged her away in handcuffs.
Too bad she was such a nutcase. She could have been an awesome inventor.
Bud came running up to us, clutching his notepad and pencil. “Spill, dude! What’s the scoop on all the wild robot-versus-robot action?”
“It’s a long, twisted story,” I said, “but I can tell you what tonight’s big headline is going to be: ROBOTS SAVE FAMOUS SCIENTIST FROM TERRORIST PLOT!”
Not exactly what TRB had in mind …
“Whoa! Get a load of this!” Yo exclaimed.
Now what?
“I don’t believe it,” Sue said.
Turning around, I saw Mr. Radnor and a pair of guards escorting Andy and FugBot away from the exits. Andy looked annoyed and embarrassed, but that wasn’t the weird part. Jay Robertson’s head was sitting atop FugBot’s shoulders, while Mr. Radnor held on to what appeared to be FugBot’s skull-like head.
I blinked in confusion before I realized what I was seeing: a man in a robot suit.
“Look what we found,” Mr. Radnor said. “These guards tried to stop Andy’s robot from running away—only to find out he wasn’t really a robot at all!”
So that’s why FugBot had such humanlike reflexes and abilities. He was really a genuine Olympic athlete in disguise. Andy must have presented a genuine robot to the inspectors at the beginning of the games, then pulled a switcheroo later. I was willing to bet Yo a year’s worth of pizzas that you’d find another version of FugBot resting in Andy’s trailer right now.
“You’ve hit a new low, Foger,” Yo said. “Even for you.”
Bud was madly scribbling notes. “Dang, this story just keeps getting better and better!”
Andy glowered back at us. “You’re just jealous ’cause you didn’t think of it first,” he said sullenly.
“Yeah, right!” Sue said sarcastically. “Maybe on Planet Foger.”
Compared to Persis’s murderous scheme, Andy’s scam was a stupid stunt, but it still made me want to punch him in the jaw. Persis at least had the excuse that she was a homicidal fanatic. Andy was just a jerk.
“I can’t speak for the committee,” Mr. Radnor said, “but I think this almost certainly disqualifies FugBot … which changes the rankings somewhat. You know what that means?”
“SwiftBot takes first place!” Yo exclaimed. A stunned expression came over her face. “Tom, we won the grand prize after all!”
“I guess so!” I shook my head in disbelief. “How awesome is that?”
“With RollerBot coming in second,” Mr. Radnor added. “As soon as the judges can make it official.”
“What else can they do?” Sue reached out and shook my hand, then Yo’s. “Let me be the first to congratulate you on your glorious victory.” She gave us a crafty smile. “And just wait until next year!”
“You’re on!” I told her. “I can hardly wait.”
They’ve got motorcycles, their cases are ripped from the headlinesand they work for ATAC:American Teens Against Crime.
CRIMINALS, BEWARE:THE HARDY BOYS ARE ON YOUR TRAIL!
Frank and Joe are telling all-new stories of crime, danger, death-defying stunts, mystery, and teamwork.
Ready? Set? Fire it up!
Bobby Pendragon is a seemingly normal fourteen-year-old boy. He has a family, a home, and a possible new girlfriend. But something happens to Bobby that changes his life forever.
HE IS CHOSEN TO DETERMINE THE COURSE OF HUMAN EXISTENCE.
Pulled away from the comfort of his family and suburban home, Bobby is launched into the middle of an immense, interdimensional conflict involving racial tensions, threatened ecosystems, and more. It’s a journey of danger and discovery for Bobby, and his success or failure will do nothing less than determine the fate of the world….
PENDRAGON
by D. J. MacHale
Book One: The Merchant of Death
Book Two: The Lost City of Faar
Book Three: The Never War
Book Four: The Reality Bug
Book Five: Black Water
Coming Soon: Book Six: The Rivers of Zadaa
From Aladdin Paperbacks · Published by Simon & Schuster
Victor Appleton, The Robot Olympics
