other. How could Toby possibly take the quiz so fast?

“Okay, settle down!” Mr. Moustachio ordered.

He checked Toby’s answers on his computer. The grade popped up on the screen: 100 percent. The teacher shook his head.

“Just like his father!”

Outside the school, a cheerful house robot waited to greet Toby. Orrin was an early model robot with a fairly simple shape. His head was a round, metal ball with two expressive eyes and a blue laser light for a mouth. His barrel-shaped metal torso was attached to the lower half of his body at the waist by a ball joint, so he could pivot in all directions. Orrin had two arms, but no legs; he rolled around on a single wheel.

Orrin paced back and forth in front of the Tenma limousine. He nervously practiced greeting his master.

“Hello, Master Toby,” he began. But that didn’t sound right. “No, no, no, no.”

He tried again. He had to get it just right. Master Toby could be difficult to please.

“Hello, young sir ... not young sir, that’s ... Hello! Hello! Hello! Young—how was. How. Hmm ... ”

Toby emerged from the entrance of the school wearing a baseball cap and carrying his schoolbag. Orrin panicked.

“Oh. Oh gosh. Oh my goodness!”

He quickly held the door of the limo open for Toby. “Hello, Master Toby. Uh, good—uh, did you have a good—”

Toby tossed his bag into the air.

“Think fast, Orrin!”

Orrin dove to catch the bag. He grabbed it just before it hit the sidewalk.

“Thank you, Master Toby,” Orrin said obediently. “Very good throw, by the way.”

Orrin stashed Toby’s bag in the limo and took his place in the driver’s seat. Toby sat in the backseat. A hologram of his father appeared on the seat next to him.

Dr. Tenma wore his white lab coat, just like in the movie Toby had just seen. His hologram sat stiffly in the seat, and both he and Toby stared straight ahead as they talked.

“Hello, son,” Dr. Tenma said.

“Hello, sir,” Toby replied.

“How was school?” his father asked.

Toby rolled his eyes. “Oh, great. Moustachio sprung a pop quiz on us, but I’m pretty sure I got a hundred.”

“That’s good, son. Very good, but I don’t want you to become complacent,” Dr. Tenma advised. “It’s very important to keep studying. Onward and upward, Toby.”

“Sure, Dad,” Toby said.

Dr. Tenma and Toby cleared their throats at the same time, in exactly the same way. It was easy to see that they were father and son.

“I’m aware that I promised to take you to that symposium on Quantum Mechanics, but I’m afraid I have to take a rain check again,” he said.

“I guessed as much,” Toby replied. He was disappointed, but he’d never show it.

“I’m sorry, Toby, but it’s unavoidable,” his father explained. “President Stone has brought forth the unveiling of the Peacekeeper.”

“The Peacekeeper? You’ve got to be kidding me!” Toby cried. He practically bounced in his seat. The Peacekeeper was the largest military robot ever created. He had heard his father talk about it, and he really wanted to see it up close.

“I never kid,” Dr. Tenma said seriously. “Good-bye, son.”

The hologram disappeared.

“The Peacekeeper, huh?” Toby mused. “Hey, Orrin, change of plan. Take me to the Ministry of Science.”

The robot shook his head. “I’m sorry, Master Toby, but your father gave me strict instructions to ... stop that! Wh-what are you doing back there? Hey! Hey!”

Toby leaned across the seat and quickly worked to rewire Orrin via the control panel on the robot’s back. Reprogramming Orrin’s orders was child’s play.

Orrin stopped protesting. He stepped on the gas.

“Next stop, Ministry of Science.”

CHAPTER 2

The sound of marching boots echoed down the gleaming halls of the Ministry of Science. The boots belonged to dozens of soldiers in black uniforms who marched in perfect formation. President Stone, a tall, stern-looking man in black, led the group. He was flanked by Dr. Tenma and his Secretary of Defense, General Heckler.

“Ready to blow me away today, Tenma?” President Stone asked. “To make my hair stand up, to knock my socks off?”

“Er, yes, metaphorically speaking,” Dr. Tenma replied. He looked slightly uncomfortable. A man of science, Dr. Tenma preferred calculations and machines to actual people, and President Stone had enough personality for ten men.

“That’s the spirit!” Stone said, slapping Dr. Tenma on the back.

“Dr. Elefun is an esteemed colleague of mine, Mr. President,” Dr. Tenma began cautiously. “He may be resistant to having his discovery used for military purposes.”

“Leave Dr. Elefun to me,” President Stone replied darkly.

“Dad!”

Dr. Tenma turned to see Toby running toward them.