Astrid Maxxim and Her Amazing Hoverbike (4 page)

“
Yes
,”
replied Astrid.
 “
You were
n’
t turned into a robot and your brain was
n’
t fried
.
”

“
The robot is
n’
t moving
,”
observed Denise.

“
I
t’
ll take hours and hours for its processors to map out all that data.  Ther
e’
s a lot of information in a human brain
.
”

Valerie and Denise spent an hour texting each other, while Astrid compiled the final results of her experiment.  Then the three of them had fun running and then sliding down the slick floor of the hallway outside in their stocking feet.  They took the monorail home, stopping at the Malt Shop, run by Mr. Richards, Denis
e’
s other dad.  They each ordered a chocolate malt and then drank them as they walked home.  Denise and Astrid dropped Valerie off at her home, and then they split at the corner near Denis
e’
s house, Astrid walking the last bit by herself.

Astrid was asleep when her phone rang.  She wiped her eyes and looked at the clock.  It was almost eleven.  Picking the device up off its charger, she pressed the answer button.

“
Hello
?
”

“
Astrid, help me
!
”

“
Valerie
?
”

“
Yes, i
t’
s me.  Something has happened
.
”

“
What?  Wha
t’
s going on
?
”

“
I do
n’
t know.  I do
n’
t know what to do
.
”

“
Where are you
?
”

“
I’
m in your lab
.
”

“
My lab?  What are you doing there
?
”

“
I do
n’
t know, but yo
u’
ve got to help me, Astrid.  Yo
u’
re the only one that can
.
”

“
Hang on, Valerie. 
I’
ll be right there
.
”

Astrid hurried from the monorail station to the R&D building.  She could see from the outside that the lights in her lab were on.  Just as she stepped up to the front door, she was bathed in the headlights of a security patrol car.  She stood blinking as the red lights on the ca
r’
s rooftop began flashing and the drive
r’
s side door opened.  Out stepped Captain Sergio Diaz, Maxxi
m’
s head of security and Valeri
e’
s dad.

“
Wha
t’
s going on here, Astrid
?”
he asked.

“
I do
n’
t know
,”
replied the girl inventor.
 “
I got a call from Valerie, saying she was in my lab
.
”

“
I got a similar call, but I checked and Valerie is asleep in her bed.  I might think this was an attempt to kidnap you, but then why call me
?
”

“
I think I might know what this is about
,”
said Astrid.
 “
Come with me up to my lab
.
”

“
Perhaps I should go investigate while you wait in the car.  It might be dangerous
.
”

“
You can protect me better if we say together
,”
she pointed out.

They entered the building and took the glass elevator up to the fourteenth floor.  As they unlocked the door and stepped inside, something came flying across the room, grasping Mr. Diaz around his waist.

“
Poppy, Poppy, thank heavens yo
u’
re here
!
”

“
Wha
t
…”
 
The security chief peeled the form off of him and pushed it away.
 “
What is this
?
”

“
I
t’
s me, Poppy
!
”
 
It was Robot Girl 7, only she was awake and very, very animated.
 “
I
t’
s me.  Astrid turned me into a robot, just like I was afraid she would
.
”

“
Just what have you done
?”
demanded Mr. Diaz, frowning down at Astrid.

An hour later they were all in the living room of the Diaz home.  Astrid and Mr. Diaz stood on one side of the room while Mrs. Diaz stood at the other side of the room with her arms around the robot.

“
How could you do this to our little girl, Astrid
,”
she said.

“
I did
n’
t do anything to her.  Look, sh
e’
s sitting right there on the couch
.
”

“
I’
m fine, Mama
,”
said Valerie, who was indeed sitting right there on the couch.

“
Look at her
,”
continued Mrs. Diaz.
 “
Sh
e’
s trembling, sh
e’
s so frightened
.
”

“
Tha
t’
s probably one of her servos readjusting
,”
said Astrid.
 “
It will go away in a little while
.
”

Just then there was a knock at the door, which Mr. Diaz went to answer.  He returned a minute later with Dr. and Mrs. Maxxim.  The latter looked none too happy.  The former mostly just looked sleepy.

“
Astrid, what is going on
?”
demanded her mother.

“
Look at what your daughter has done to my little girl
,”
demanded Mrs. Diaz, clutching Robot Girl 7 closer.

“
Sofia, our daughter is right over there
,”
said Mr. Diaz.
 “
Sh
e’
s fine
.
”

“
Yes Mama,
I’
m over here
.
”

“
Is that RG-7
?”
asked Dr. Maxxim, catching sight of the silver girl.
 “
Amazing, Astrid.  Oh, you have really done it this time
.
”

“
Roger
!”
barked Mrs. Maxxim.

“
Astrid, you have really done it this time
,”
he said, in an entirely different and much sterner way than before.
 “
But, we should still get it back to the lab to run some tests
.
”

“
Mama, do
n’
t let them take me
!”
cried the robot.

“
You will not touch a hair on my daughte
r’
s head
!”
hissed Mrs. Diaz.

“
Mama,
I’
m over here
,”
said Valerie again.
 “
And she does
n’
t have any hair
.
”

“
You will not touch a hair on either of my daughter
s’
heads
,”
finished Mrs. Diaz.

“
Astrid, Roger, go wait in the car
,”
demanded Mrs. Maxxim.
 “
Sergio, you and I will discuss this.  Cooler heads must prevail
.
”

Dr. Maxxim took his daughter by the hand and led her outside and to the car, into which they climbed.  Astrid took the back seat.  They sat without speaking for ten minutes until Mrs. Maxxim joined them.  She gave a nod to her husband, which he took as a signal to start the drive home.

“
What about my robot
?”
asked Astrid.

“
For the time being, the robot will remain in the custody of Mrs. Diaz, with the understanding that it embodies the intellectual property of Maxxim Industries, with all the rights and privileges inclusively thereby associated
.
”

“
What does all that mean
?”
asked Astrid.

“
Sh
e’
s keeping it
.
”

Astrid was required to stay home all day Sunday, and even though her parents had never used the ter
m“
grounded
,”
she had a feeling that she knew just what that felt like.  She did her chores, finished her homework for the next two weeks, and practiced her oboe.  About every five minutes, she answered a text from Denise, but she heard nothing from Valerie.

On Monday, she shot out the door after downing seven bites of oatmeal and found Toby, as always, waiting for her at the edge of the yard.  He leaned casually against the last poplar tree and laughed when she bounded up to him.

“
Have an eventful weekend
?”
he asked.

“
You know
?
”

“
The whole town knows, Astrid
,”
he replied.
 “
I just wish I could have seen it.  Where is it, anyway
?
”

“
What?  You mea
n
…”

“
Yes, the robot girl.  Where is it
?
”

“
I’
m not really sure
,”
replied Astrid.
 “
Tha
t’
s one reason I really want to see Valerie this morning
.
”

They found both Denise and Christopher waiting for them at the corner of Acacia and Fourth, but Valerie was not at the usual spot in front of her home and she did
n’
t show up when they waited for her.  Finally Toby went to the door of the Diaz home and rang the bell, but no one answered.  They continued on their way, reaching the monorail station and taking the train to school.

Astrid found her seat in English Composition class and took out her textbook and her digital tablet.  Denise plopped into the desk to her right.

“
Sh
e’
s here
,”
she said.

“
Valerie
?”
asked Christopher, who sat on the other side of Denise.

“
Yes, I saw her in the program five team room
.
”

“
Where was she
?”
wondered Astrid.

“
She came in early.  Her mother is enrolling her in school
.
”

“
A different school
?”
asked Christopher.

“
No, this school
.
”

“
She already goes to this school
,”
said Astrid.

“
No, not her
,”
explained Denise.
 “
Sh
e’
s enrolling the robot in school
.
”

“
What
?”
exclaimed Astrid.
 “
Tha
t’
s crazy
!
”

“
It kind of makes sense
,”
said Christopher.
 “
You gave her all the knowledge of a ninth grade girl.  She needs more, just like we do.  Ho
w’
s she going to learn if she does
n’
t go to school
?
”

“
I can just scan the knowledge into her
,”
said Astrid.

“
Yes, that worked really well the last time
,”
he replied.

At 12:00, they all met as usual in the Quad.  Lunch was grilled salmon, rice pilaf, roasted potato and green bean medley, and broiled mango.  Astrid, Christopher, Toby, and Denise were halfway through their salmon when Valerie arrived at the table.

“
So, wha
t’
s going on with you and the robot you
?”
wondered Toby, but before he could get his answer, the principa
l’
s voice resounded over the public address calling him to the office.

“
Wonder what tha
t’
s about
?”
he grumbled, but got up stomped away up the steps.

“
Well, what is going on
?”
Denise asked Valerie.

“
I
t’
s actually kind of cool
,”
said Valerie.
 “
Things got quieter once Mama calmed down.  I
t’
s kind of like having a twin.  And Poppy bought us bunk beds
.
”

“
I always knew you were a nerd
,”
said a voice behind Astri
d’
s ear.  She turned around to find Mark McGovern grinning smugly at her.
 “
But what kind of freaky mad scientist wannabe turns a kid into a robot
?
”

“
Why do
n’
t you take a hike
?”
Christopher told him.

“
Why do
n’
t you make me
?”
replied Mark.
 “
Not so big when your tough-guy friend is
n’
t here, are you
?
”

“
If you do
n’
t leave,
I’
ll make you
,”
said a voice.

Mark and everybody else looked to see the silver metallic version of Valerie, now dressed in a school uniform, standing beside him.